Staying Home
by angel-castiel-rules-the-world
Summary: Second in the 'Home' trilogy. Read 'Finding Home' first. With the gates of hell closed and all the angels in heaven Eve rises from purgatory to claim the Earth for her own. All that stands in her way is the extend Winchester clan, and they have issues of their own to work through. AU season 6.
1. Prologue

**Hello All. I have had people say they would like more of this story so here we go. I hope you like it. This is set after Finding Home in the new AU season 6. **

**I would like to thank Mayflowers123 and rainystv for the reviews at the end of Finding Home.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Two dragons stood on the edge of a jagged out crop of rocks, below them was a pit of nothing. between them there was a girl. Tied and gagged, struggling, trying desperately to get free. One of the dragons pulled out an old book and started reciting in archaic Latin.

Once he started in the pit below a fire started to burn, he added his blood to it while his companion untied the struggling girl. Once untied they threw her down into the fires below, finishing the chant as she fell.

Suddenly the surrounding rocks started to shake and the dragons watched on as the girl rose from the fiery pit below. She moved to stand on the rocks in front of them, her eyes glowing with fire before returning to her normal stare.

"Welcome." spoke the dragon who had done the incarnation to the girl.

"We have so much to do, lets get started." She replied with a smile.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural. **

* * *

Six months after Castiel and Gabriel had chosen to become human and returned to the ones they loved the extended Winchester clan had settled into a form of normalcy.

Sam was off at school, enjoying using his research skills on things that weren't monster related. Crowley had finished his reorganisation of Bobby's files and books and had started adding to them with his own knowledge. He had quickly become a go to source for Bobby, not that he told the other hunters where his information came from, if they found out that he had a former demon helping him they would probably try to kill Crowley. But Bobby and he had found a comfortable working relationship, he was even starting to like the guy with his dry humour which was usually aimed at the boys.

Dean and Cas had, once Cas had adapted to being human, started up the family business. Travelling across the country in the impala saving people and hunting things. Showing the world that the Winchester family was still very much in the business.

Rose continued making her jewellery, and when it caught on that the symbols she used were the ones from the supernatural books she found that she had a new demographic of clients. Chucks fans loving the pieces she created.

And Gabriel? Well he was found it harder to adjust than he truly thought he would, though mainly cos Rose had banned him from eating sweets and chocolate all the time informing him that it would rot his teeth. The sugar withdrawal he found himself going through the first few weeks that he was back was the worst thing in his life. But be that as it may he had his family. He hadn't found his position in this new world, he had tried going out hunting with Dean and Castiel but found that the work wasn't truly for him. Yes he liked saving people and he could fight but, maybe it was that he had to sit in the back of the car and watch his brother and Dean make goo-goo eyes at each other every five minutes? He didn't know why but he did know that it wasn't truly for him. Therefore he spent most of his time looking after Isobel and teaching her about her angel side. Not that he told anyone he was doing this, though he was sure that Cassie was well aware. He liked being with her, she reminded of who he truly was in this strange world where he needed to eat and sleep and use the damn toilet. He found it hard to have to go from being one the most powerful beings in existence to just another human trying to find his place in the world. He envied Castiel. he seemed to have it all figured out, maybe because his time cut off from heaven during the apocalypse but he seemed to have adapted well. But he knew he had made the right decision and would make the same again. He had his Rose and his family. He really didn't need any more, and he was sure he would figure out his role eventually.

They had enjoyed celebrating a normal Christmas, well as normal one as you can have when you have two people who had been there to witness the actual birth of Christ with you. Dean and Rose had insisted on cooking while Gabriel regaled them all with the true story of Christmas, Castiel adding the odd comment here and there, he was after all not the former messenger of god. Gabriel just found it hilarious that he could say anything he liked and Sam and Dean just swallowed it whole, though Rose would just roll her eyes or glare at him to behave. But he did so enjoy winding up the Winchesters and now there was no apocalypse or demons or angels to worry about he had a great time pranking the brothers when they were home.

The extension to Bobby's house had been completed by the time Sam went to school with the help of Cas and Gabe, now there was room for everyone at Singers Auto Salvage as well as work space for those who required it. It became quite the centre of the family unit.

Isobel was approaching her 2nd birthday and had started walking and talking, her first words being not Mummy or Daddy as both Rose and Dean had hoped respectively but pie which everyone found hilarious. And now she was mobile she was a demon, running round the place and getting into everything she could, ever curious about every little thing. The only time Rose saw her ever sit still was when Gabriel was talking to her. She didn't know what it was he discussed with her daughter but she did know that Gabriel had a close bond to his niece. She was glad to see that that hadn't changed when he became human.

Rose was aware that Gabriel had found the transition to being human difficult, she also knew that Castiel had also found it hard, her and Dean having exchanged notes throughout the beginning of the process in the hopes it would help the ones they loved. She knew that Gabriel still wasn't perfectly happy in his own skin. In fact the only time she saw him completely comfortable was when he was with Isobel. She hoped it would only be a matter of time until he completely adjusted, she loved him and would do anything to help him. Not that he asked for any assistance, he had been dealing with everything in his live alone for so long she knew he wouldn't change that patten any time soon. But she would be there when he needed her just as she knew Castiel would be too.

Neither of the angels had mentioned that they could go back. Neither thinking of any reason why they would and therefore chose not to mention it. It didn't matter if there father held there grace for them in heaven, they didn't need it. they had there family and there loves. They had a whole new world to explore and new lives to lead.


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello all. Sorry for the long time for this update, I really don't have any excuse. I would like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured this story. I hope you like the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Gabriel was sitting with Isobel playing with her blocks when she suddenly sat up straight and looked at him with wide eyes. He knew that look.

"What is it sweetheart?" He asked gently pulling her onto his lap.

Isobel frowned at him before she spoke. "Scared." And with that she turned on his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. Gabriel stood carrying his niece with him to go find Rose and Bobby. They needed to call Dean and Cas back. Something was obviously going on.

* * *

Castiel watched as Dean walked into the motel room and collapsed on their bed. He smiled at the man, even though they had just spent the night cleaning out a vampire nest he still managed to look sexy. He didn't know how it was possible. Castiel still found these feelings and emotions he got when he looked at Dean strange. He had felt similar when he was an angel but they were muted. Now he felt them full force and on occasion they over whelmed him. He remembered the nights he had woken from nightmares to find Dean there with his arms around him. He remembered when he would burst into tears for no reason that he could see and how happy he was when he was with his family. He loved them all so much, though Dean and Isobel held special places in his heart.

The only cloud he found in his new happiness was Gabriel. He was worried for his brother. He had changed somehow when they became human. Castiel had too in some respects but Gabriel, he still wasn't quite… there. Castiel's biggest fear was that Gabriel would leave him, them, and return to heaven. He didn't want to lose his brother. But these were things he could do nothing about. At least not until Gabriel came to talk to him and as such he put them to the back of his mind and went back to staring down at the man he loved more than life itself.

Dean was lying on the bed drifting off to sleep when he felt the hairs on his arm start to rise. Cracking open his eyes he saw the reason. Cas was standing next to the bed staring down at him with a small smile on his lips.

"You know, it's still creepy, watching me sleep." He said gruffly though a smile of his own was fighting to appear on his lips.

"It is not creepy when I am doing it because I wish you to go shower. I do not want to sleep in a bed covered in vampire blood and I doubt you would wish to either." Castiel replied smirking at his hunter.

"Fine I'll take a shower." Dean replied with a roll of his eyes before his face took on a mischievous look. "But only if you join me." He said giving Cas his best bedroom eyes.

Castiel raised his eyebrows at this suggestion, it was defiantly not one he was adverse to. "As you wish Dean." He replied before pulling the man off of the motel bed and into a sweet kiss. He then pulled away and led his hunter by the hand into the small motel bathroom, not that either of them minded the size much, it just meant that they had to be closer together which in both Dean and Castiel's mind was a good thing.

* * *

Rose was working in her workshop at the back of the house when she saw Gabriel and Isobel enter. She smiled at them both, they were without a doubt the two loves of her life. But one look at Gabriel's face and that smile turned into a frown.

"What's wrong Gabriel?" She asked rushing to his side.

"I don't know. Issy just said she was scared." Gabriel replied stroking the toddlers hair as he spoke.

"Scared of what?" Rose asked with wide eyes.

"I don't know." Gabriel replied, through his mind was turning. He was thinking about what could have scared the girl. She was half an angel, therefore could feel the rise of a number of things. He just hoped it was something they knew how to deal with.

At Gabriel's reply Rose nodded and led the way to Bobby's office where both Bobby and Crowley were working.

"What's up?" Bobby asked as he saw the three come through the door and taking the situation in with a glance.

"Something's coming. Something not good." Rose replied, taking Isobel from Gabriel's arms so he could explain more.

"Isobel felt something rise." Gabriel said plainly, he didn't explain that this was in actual fact what he had deduced from the toddler. He knew he was right in that.

"What do ya mean she felt it? How could feel it?" Bobby asked confused by Gabriel's words. At that Crowley rolled his eyes. Had he truly forgotten what the child was?

"She is a Nephilim Bobby. Half an angel. There are things she'll be able to feel rise that no one else left on earth will be able to." He said to the older man.

"Okay. So what can angels feel rise?" Bobby asked those surrounding him though when he had finished the sentence all eyes turned to the former archangel.

"The list isn't long, but might take a while to go through." Gabriel replied sitting down by the desk and pulling a pad and pen to him so he could write the list.

Rose looked over his shoulder as he wrote and at the last name she closed her eyes. Eve. Oh god no. don't let it be Eve. How in the hell would they defeat her without an angel to take them time traveling?

"Who the hell is Eve?" Bobby asked reading the list. Surprisingly it was Crowley who answered.

"The mother of all monsters." He replied quietly, his face having gone a shade paler.

"Balls." Bobby muttered looking back down at the short but concise list.

* * *

Castiel and Dean were sleeping when Castiel's phone went.

"Yes?" he asked groggily after reaching out and answering it.

"Hey bro. look you need to come back." Gabriel's voice said down the line, much more awake than Castiel's was.

"Why?" Castiel asked confused, though Gabriel's tone was waking him up somewhat.

"Cos Isobel felt something rise."

This sentence caused Castiel to sit up straight, waking him up completely with wide eyes. This was not good.

"Do we know what something?" he asked his brother, knowing Gabriel had a better connection with his daughter when it came to her angel side. Not that he had told Dean this, he thought that his lover would not be best pleased with this information, though Castiel found no problems with it. He liked that his brother had such a connection with his daughter.

"No but the list isn't long." Gabriel replied tiredly.

Castiel nodded. "We will leave immediately. Have you called Sam?" he asked pulling himself out of bed and finding some clothes to put on.

"Next on the list bro."

"Good." And with that Castiel hung up and turned to Dean to find him looking at him with narrowed eyes.

"What's going on now?" Dean asked, deciding he wasn't going to get out of the bed for anything short of the 2nd apocalypse.

"We need to get back home." Castiel replied moving round the room packing for them both.

"Why?" Dean asked.

"Because I said so. Now get yourself out of bed." Castiel replied with a roll of his eyes causing Dean to laugh as he pulled himself from the covers and into his clothes. If Cas said they had to go, then they had to go. It was that simple.

* * *

Sam was in the library rubbing his eyes thinking he should really get to bed when his phone rang.

"Hello." He said as he answered, not checking caller ID.

"You need to get your ass back here ASAP." Came Bobby's gruff voice down the line.

"Why what's going on?" Sam asked, though he was packing up his books as he spoke.

"The shits hit the fan boy. That's what." And with that Bobby hung up leaving Sam just as confused as he was before the answer. Shaking his head he got into his car and drove to the dorms so he could grab his gear before he headed out.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello all. I would like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured this story since my last update. I'm glad you're liking it. **

**The bits in italics are memories. Here's the next chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

It was late the next evening when Dean, Sam and Cas where sitting on the couch looking up at the Gabriel who had just finished explaining the situation to them.

"So let me get this right. You called us all back because Issy got scared and you decided that it meant something was coming? What the hell Gabe? She's a toddler, they get scared." Dean said frustrated at the former archangel in front of him.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Dean. The man could really piss him off sometimes with his narrow minded thinking.

"She's part angel Dean. If Gabriel says that something is coming due to our daughter's behaviour I believe him." Castiel interrupted before his brother could vent at Dean.

"Yeah well what the hell does he know about what **our** daughter feels?" Dean asked emphasising the our in his sentence.

That was it, Gabriel was not going to take this crap anymore. "Listen to me Dean-o. While you're out saving people who do you think is here looking after **your** daughter? Me that's who. I know how she feels Dean because I am the one who taught her to open up to her angel side. I was the one to show her how to use the grace inside her to reach out to the ones she loves. I was the one who taught her not to fear her powers but to keep them hidden. I was the one who taught her to control them, to be able to move things with her mind. Me Dean. Not you and not Castiel. Me." Gabriel said in a voice which held hints of the archangel voice and power he used to hold.

This monologue by Gabriel was greeted with silence. Dean shocked by what Gabriel had said to him keeping him quiet. Sam realised that they really needed to get back on track with this.

"So do we have any idea of what has risen?" he asked, turning to Bobby and Crowley who were sitting surrounded by books.

"Well Gabriel gave us a list of possibilities but we're still working our way through it." Bobby replied gruffly.

"Okay. So where do you want me?" Sam asked getting up from the couch and moving over to what seemed to have been deemed the research area.

"Here. Look though this." Bobby replied throwing a book at him and going back to his own.

Gabriel was still standing there glaring at Dean, ignoring everything else that was going on in the room. It was about time this man learnt just who he was dealing with. Suddenly he felt a hand on his tense shoulder spinning round he found himself staring into the face of the one he loved.

* * *

Rose watched Gabriel explode at Dean and wondered what to do. She had not been aware of what Gabriel did with their daughter, though somewhere at the back of her mind she had thought what he had said was a possibility, but this wasn't a time for fighting. They needed to stand together in this, with that thought she went over and put her hand on Gabriel's shoulder, hoping she could bring him back to the real world. When he turned she looked into his eyes and saw the fury there quickly replaced with tired resignation. He may have lost his grace but it seemed he could still read her mind on occasion.

"Sorry Dean-o. I'm just…" Gabriel started running a hand through his hair.

Dean looked up as the former archangel gave his apology, seeing him in a different way than he ever had before. He hadn't really ever considered who looked after Isobel when he and Cas weren't around, he had just presumed that it would be Rose. But she had work to do too.

"No its fine. This isn't the time to fight. We need to work out what we're dealing with." Dean replied gruffly. He really didn't want to do the heartfelt huggy crap. He would leave that to Sam and Cas. With he went over and grabbed a book from the pile and buried his head in it, blocking out all others in the room.

* * *

Castiel had watched his brother and he heard the words. None of which surprised him. What did was Dean's acceptance of the situation. That he had not expected. With a shrug he turned back to Gabriel to make sure that nothing had been left of the list of possible things it could be and what other signs each of the possible big bads would give off, hoping that it would help them narrow down the possibilities.

* * *

Very early the next morning Gabriel slipped out of his and Roses bed, quickly and quietly getting dressed before making his way out of the house and round to the garage. Getting into the car he quickly drove away. The journey wasn't a long one, and it was one he was now more than familiar with, having being making it at least once a week since his return from heaven. He had found his destination quite by chance one day in the first week of his humanity.

_He had been walking, for how long he didn't know he had just been trying to get his thoughts and feelings in check when he had stumbled across an isolated and quiet church. Without thought he had entered, looking round the place that humans used to get closer to his father. Looking up at the symbols of faith on the walls and the candles burning for dearly departed. He didn't say anything just sat in a quiet pew and finally allowed his mind to rest, in the house of his father. Allowing peace to overcome him until his phone rang with Rose worried wondering where he was. She had come and picked him up without a word about where he was. For that he had been eternally grateful. He didn't know if he had the answers to any questions she might have had. He didn't really know anything anymore._

After that first visit to the church he had returned regularly, first so he could feel the peace the place seep into his veins. Then later when he was more comfortable in his humanity he came to be close to his father. It had taken him months before he finally spoke inside the church, and then it hadn't been to his father. But the priest who looked after the place of worship.

_"You come here regularly my child. Do you wish to speak of why?" The words where gently spoken from behind him as Gabriel sat staring up at Jesus on the cross above the altar. Turning he found himself looking into the kind and gentle eyes of an elderly priest. He smiled at him, though the look was strained before he spoke for the first time in closest thing he could find to the presence of his father since he left heaven._

_"It feels like home." He whispered into the echoy church._

_"All are welcome in the house of god." The priest replied sitting next to him._

_"Really? Cos sometimes I not completely sure of that." Gabriel murmured._

_"And what do you feel you have done that would stop your entrance into our lords presence?" The priest asked._

_"I fell." Was all Gabriel said in reply._

_"We all fall my son, but it is how you pick yourself up again that defines you." the priest replied reaching out a hand and squeezing his shoulder before standing. "Remember that." He said smiling before walking away._

_Gabriel sat there for a while longer thinking over the priest's words which could well have come straight from his father. _

It was after that conversation that Gabriel had started teaching Isobel about her angel side. Giving himself a purpose to be there other than just being with Rose. The next time he came to the church he had got down on his knees and prayed to his father. Letting him know all that was going on in the lives of his family.

* * *

Gabriel entered the church early like he always did. Shaking off the memories of his previous times here he made his way to the altar at the front rather than one of the pews. Kneeing before the altar he bowed his head and brought his hands together in a show of respect for his father.

"Hey Dad. So how's heaven doing? You sorted out my brothers and sisters yet? I bet you're bored up there by now, cursing me for the deal we made. Bet you miss having me around pranking everyone now." At that he stopped, needing to take in a calming breath as the memories of his other family overwhelmed him. Calming his thoughts he turned back to his pray. "So somethings coming Dad. And it doesn't look good. I have a horrible feeling I know what it is, or rather who. I so want to be wrong on this one. But as you say, somethings can't be changed, you can alter your path but there's always certain sights you will always see." Taking a deep breath Gabriel continued. "I think Eve's back… I still remember her as a girl, before Luci turned her into an abomination. I wish… I wish that girl had had a chance. But I can't change the past. Not anymore, all I can do is concentrate on the future. I know you can't do anything to interfere and I know a way to kill her, but I… I don't know what I'm trying to say Dad. I just wish… I wish for so many things. Anyway I had better go. Rose'll be pissed if I'm too long. Look after yourself Dad. I'll see you again someday. Amen."

With that Gabriel rose and dusted of his knees, turning to walk out the door without looking back at the church and thus missing the priest looking at him with a frown in his eyes.

"I wish for things too my son." The priest said before vanishing into thin air.


	5. Chapter 4

**Hello people. I would like to thank those of you have followed and favoured since my last update. I love you guys.**

**So here's the next chapter I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

It was three days later that Bobby felt they had managed to narrow down the list to three possible things that could have risen, though Gabriel assured them that it was in fact a list of only one. He gathered everyone together in his study once Isobel was asleep to hash it out.

"So first we have Cain." Bobby said but before he could continue Sam interrupted him.

"Cain? As Cain and Able Cain?" Sam asked incredulously.

Gabriel just shrugged as he replied "what can I say? Luci got around back in the day."

"But… Cain?" Sam asked still in disbelief.

"He was turned into a demon, a really powerful one, by Lucifer himself. If the stories are to be believed at any rate." Crowley said from where he was sitting next to Bobby.

"But I thought closing the gates of hell took all the demons from earth?" Dean spoke. Wondering why they were once again discussing demons. They had all gone.

"Cain may be strong enough to resist Squirrel. Keep up." Crowley replied as Gabriel muttered under his breath.

"He's not." He said before turning back to Bobby. "So who's next?"

"Angels." Bobby said looking at the two in the room hoping that they would be able to help confirm or deny this one.

At that Gabriel really did roll his eyes. Why were they all so stupid? "There are only four angels left in existence who are strong enough to go against God. Two of those are locked in a cage in hell. Raphael is too busy being daddy's little lap dog to think of rebelling and Metatron is immersed in editing dear dads books so he ain't interested." Gabriel rattled off to all those around him.

"So you say, but you left some time ago Gabriel." Bobby said gruffly.

"Listen old man. If one of my brothers was really stupid enough to try it I would know." Gabriel replied narrowing his eyes at the man. Why was it none of the people here took his words seriously when it came to angels? He was an archangel. Surely he knew more than any of them put together.

"How?" Bobby asked honestly intrigued about how the former archangel would know. But Gabriel didn't respond he just sat there and looked back at the man. There were somethings he wasn't going to share with the group here and the answer to that question was one of them.

Bobby sighed and shook his head when he realised that Gabriel wasn't going to reply. The damn man had too many secrets for his liking.

"Fine. Third is Eve." Bobby said into the silent room.

"That's who it is." Gabriel said with complete certainty in his voice.

"Okay if that's so how do we prove it?" Dean asked getting frustrated with how Gabriel just said things and expected them all too just take his word.

"You find a monster and ask." Rose said startling everyone in the room that it was she who had answered.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, wondering how she had this knowledge.

"Pretty simple really. Eve can see through the eyes of all her children and when she's topside they can hear her talk to them. So ask one of them." Rose replied with a shrug.

"Um, how do you know this?" Sam asked before anyone else had a chance.

"Cos I seen this happen before, in a TV show." Rose replied crossing her arms making all the men except Gabriel sit up at that.

"So we need to find a monster." Dean said sitting up ready to start planning but Rose interrupted him.

"I'd go with a friendly one." She said smiling at them all.

"Friendly monster? Please I doubt there are any out there." Dean replied dismissively.

"Oh we know of one." Gabriel responded with a smirk at Dean.

"What?" Dean asked. He couldn't believe it. They knew a monster out there and had said nothing about it to anyone.

"You heard Dean-o we know friendly monster. Or at least Bobby does." Gabriel replied turning his eyes onto the older hunter.

"Who?" Bobby asked warily. He really didn't think that any of his friends where monsters but you never could really tell.

"Dr. Eleanor Visyak." Gabriel replied blandly.

"Balls." Was the only response Bobby could think to give to that. He liked that woman.

* * *

The next day found Bobby on the phone to Dr. Eleanor Visyak to see if she could verify that it was indeed Eve they were dealing with. It took some time but he finally managed to get a confirmation out of her. Hanging up he turned to the assembled people.

"So looks like Gabe was right. It's Eve." He said causing Crowley to pale, Cas to look concerned, Rose to swear and Gabriel to just close his eyes. Sam and Dean just took in the other reactions extremely confused.

"Okay so how do we gank her?" Dean asked deciding not to get into a click-flick moment over Everyone's reactions.

"The ash of a phoenix." Rose replied tiredly, looking over at Gabriel hoping to see that he had a plan for them to travel back in time only to see an unimaginable pain in his eyes which caused her to frown. Why was he so upset by this?

Gabriel sat and closed his eyes when Bobby confirmed what he already knew. He didn't want to have to have this fight. He didn't want to do this. She was like a sister to him. He didn't want her to die but he knew now he had no choice. He would have to kill her. Suddenly he came out of his own little world feeling eyes on him. Looking over he saw Rose watching and he quickly covered his feelings with his usual mask.

"Anyone know where a phoenix is?" Dean asked, of course it wasn't going to be simple but at least they knew what would gank the bitch.

"Yeah Sunrise, Wyoming, 1861." Gabriel said into the room making everyone turn to him as if he was crazy.

"What? You asked." he said to the stares.

"How the hell are we supposed to get the phoenix then? I kinda meant now." Dean replied gruffly at the man. If he didn't have anything usual to contribute he really wished he would just shut up.

"There aren't any left now Dean-o. That was the last one." Gabriel said patiently to the other man. He needed to make these people understand just what they had to do.

"So how do we time travel?" Sam asked confused, they didn't have any angels to take them back now.

"Well if you had a descendent of someone who was there at the time you could do a blood to blood spell." The answer came not from the person Sam had thought it would. It came from Crowley, though he guessed he shouldn't have been surprised Crowley had over the last few months shown that he had extensive knowledge when it came to witchcraft. No one was quite willing to ask him how though.

"How are we supposed to know who was there at the time?" Sam asked everyone in the room but looking at Rose and Gabriel hoping that the TV show had given them something useful.

"Samuel Colt." Rose answered simply.

"What?" Bobby asked, she couldn't mean…

"Samuel Colt was there. In fact it was his gun that killed the phoenix." Rose explained to all the people assembled.

"So we need to find a descendant of Samuel Colt." Bobby clarified looking round the room.

"Yeah pretty much." Crowley agreed, not that he really had much idea how to accomplish that.

"Well that does sound like fun." Dean said sarcastically rolling his eyes as Sam pulled his laptop out of his bag and started searching Samuel Colt's blood line.

Castiel watched Gabriel as he didn't have anything to contribute to the conversation. His brother looked like he was miles away. And it worried him.

Gabriel sat there and tuned out everyone's voice. There was a way to kill Eve. It could be done by an archangel. But to do so he would have to get his grace back and give up all he had here. He would have to give up Rose and Isobel. He would be leaving Cas alone with the Winchesters. He didn't say anything because he really didn't want to do it. But if it was the only choice then he would take it. He registered that they had found time travel stuff and thought he would see how that went before he did anything that was irreversible. With that he tuned back into the conversation and studiously ignored the way Castiel was watching him. What his brother didn't know couldn't hurt either of them.


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi all. I would like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured this story since my last update. Also sorry that it's taken me so long to write this.**

**Anyway here we are the next chapter I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

It had been three days off sitting round waiting for a result. Sam was the one who was the most able to find the person they were looking for so it had been up to him to search for Samuel Colt's descendant while everyone else researched Eve. Or at least tried to. There wasn't much about her anywhere as god had locked her in purgatory. The best resource they had was in actual fact Gabriel and he seemed unwilling to talk to anyone about her.

* * *

Castiel watched his brother closely. He knew this was effecting him more than the rest but whenever he tried to talk Gabriel would just brush him off. Castiel also observed that for the last few mornings Gabriel left early in a car only to return a few hours later. He didn't ask his brother where he had been, he did not think that he would get an answer. So instead he asked Rose.

"Do you know where Gabriel went this morning?" He asked her the second evening while she was in the kitchen making dinner.

Rose smiled at Castiel's question. "Yes." She replied. Of course she knew where Gabriel had gone. He had gone to the church as he always did. Though he seemed to be going more often now that the Eve thing had come up. She just wished he would speak to one of them about instead of going to pray to his father, (she knew full well what Gabriel did in that church) but she knew he wouldn't until he was ready. And she accepted that. She just wished he was ready now.

"You are not going to tell me are you?" Castiel asked when she didn't continue.

"If Gabriel wants you to know he will tell you. Or you could follow him." Was Rose's only response. She wasn't going to tell Castiel any secrets.

"Is that what you did?" Castiel asked confused. Surely she would not betray his brother's trust in such a way.

"I'm not saying any more." Rose said with finality and instead turning back to her cooking.

"Very well." Replied Castiel pulled the vegetables towards him and starting helping her but his brain was thinking of Gabriel. Would it be wrong to follow him and find out what it was he did in the mornings? He was so worried about him. He seemed to have changed since this started, become more distant, the only one he opened up to was Isobel now. He didn't know what to do to help him.

* * *

Gabriel was aware that Castiel was worried about him but he couldn't find it in himself to care too much. He had things he needed to work through. And if he found that the best way to do that was to pray to their dad then there was no problem with it. Lots of humans did it. Prayed to god when things went bad, so why couldn't he? He was human now after all. Well mostly, as much as an archangel could become human at least.

He had been thinking about the idea of getting his grace back, but he didn't truly want to do it. No he didn't want to have to give up Rose. But the longer it took for Sam to find the right person, the longer Eve was on earth, the more his resistance to that plan was starting to be eroded away. That was the reason for his early morning visits to the church. He needed to talk through his thought process, and he couldn't do that with anyone here. Oh Rose would say she understood and would stand by whatever he decided, but he knew that just the fact he had even considered the idea would break her heart. And Cassie? Well he wouldn't truly understand. He wouldn't be able to get why Gabriel would consider going back. He had his Dean, and that was all he wanted from life. So no there was on one he could talk to here. So instead he talked to his dad. He just wished that he would talk back, just once.

* * *

So three days had pasted, with the time taking its toll on them all before Sam found what he was looking for.

"Found her." He shouted out making everyone in the room turn to him and those who were in different rooms to coming running in.

"Her?" Sean asked.

"Yes. Melissa Baeburn." Sam said reading of the screen in front of him.

"You sure she's Colt's descendant boy?" Bobby asked, he didn't want them going off to find this girl just to find that she wasn't the right person.

"Yeah. 100%." Sam replied with complete confidence. He had double and triple checked before he had said anything.

"Great so where is she?" Dean asked jumping up from the couch. God he had been so bored for the last three days he couldn't wait to get back onto the road.

"Umm, she's a student up at Washington University." Sam replied looking up at his brother who nodded.

"Right lets go." Dean replied, with excitement in his voice.

"What you going to do Dean? Just go up to her and say hey we need you to come time travelling with us to save the world?" Rose asked from where she was leaning against the doorframe rolling her eyes at her brother.

"She has a point Squirrel." Crowley contributed from his seat next to Bobby's desk.

"Fine what do you suggest?" Dean asked gruffly to the room in general.

"We're going to have to tell her the truth somehow." Sam added, not that he really knew how they were going to do that.

"I know, just maybe we should think of a plan." Rose replied moving into the room. This woman was there one chance of finding a way to get rid of Eve, she didn't want to blow it.

"We can do that on the journey." Dean responded. They needed to get ready to go.

"Fine. But I'm coming too." Rose replied, she knew they were under time constraints but she also felt that if she left it up to Dean and Sam they would probably just kidnap the girl or something. Well maybe not, but she wanted to be there to do everything she could to get this Melissa to come with them.

"What why?" Dean asked. Rose never came with them on hunts and things, always preferring to stay here with Isobel.

"Maybe I can talk to her. You know woman to woman. Also I'm less scaring than you two." At that everyone in the room turned to look at her with varying looks of disbelief on their faces. "What?" Rose asked. What was so crazy about what she had just said?

"Not sure any of us agree with that statement Rosie, but I do think you should go. You can after all be very persuasive when you wish to be." Gabriel said in answer to her question with a saucy wink and smirk at her.

"So didn't need to know that about my sister Gabe." Dean replied with a shudder at what Gabriel had just implied. Did he really have to do that?

"Why not? I would have thought you'd think it a useful trait." Gabriel commented with the raise of an eyebrow at Dean. He hoped that he would allow Rose to go. They needed this girls help. It was like he had been thrown a lifeline, Sam finding her.

"Really no. but doesn't matter. Sam, Rose and Cas go pack and we'll leave in the morning." Dean said to the room in general, eager to get on the road as soon as possible.

"I'm going to stay here if you don't mind." Castiel said evenly into the room and when Dean turned to him they just stared at each other. Castiel trying to tell him without speaking aloud that with the three of them gone it would be the perfect opportunity for him to speak to Gabriel. Or follow him to wherever he went in the mornings. But he wouldn't tell Dean that bit. He wasn't even sure he was going to do it.

Dean read Castiel's thought in his eyes with ease, and he thought it was a good plan. Talk to Gabe when they weren't around. So he nodded before turning back to the rest of the room. "Okay, so looks like it's just the Winchester siblings taking the road trip." With that decided the three of them went to pack their bags.


	7. Chapter 6

**Hello all. I would like to say sorry for the long wait for an update. Life has been rather crazy of late. I would also like to thank rainystv for the review and I also those of you who have followed and favoured since my last update.**

**So here we are the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

That night Rose was sitting on their bed watching Gabriel organise himself for the night. Watching him he seemed a little lighter, as if some of the weight had been lifted from his shoulders, though what that weight was she didn't know. But she guessed it had something to do with them finding this Melissa girl.

"Are you sure you're okay with me going?" She asked making Gabriel pause in his endeavours to prepare for bed and come and join her sitting down.

"You need to go Rosie. We'll miss you, but Isobel and I will be here when you get back." Gabriel replied smiling at her though she could see that even this sentence wasn't spoken without a shadow behind his eyes.

"Gabriel please. Tell me." Rose whispered quietly to him. Almost as if she hoped he wouldn't hear. She had promised herself that she wouldn't push him but she couldn't take much more of him shutting her out.

Gabriel looked at Rose. Truly looked deep into her eyes before he replied. He knew he couldn't keep it all from her now. He needed to tell her something, not everything but some of what was on his mind. And you never know, maybe it would help? With that thought he turned away, looking at the far wall but not truly seeing it.

"Eve was like a sister to me before Lucifer turned her into what she is today." The memories rose in his mind causing a sad smile to appear on his face as he continued. "I still remember her chasing after me in the garden. I would fly a few feet every time she got close, it was her favourite game as a child. She looked up to me. Loved me, and I loved her. It's hard, even after all these years, that we are going to have to kill her." He finished, turning to look at Rose with pain in his eyes.

"Oh Gabriel. You don't have to be involved." Rose replied putting her arms around him and pulling him into her embrace.

"Yes Rose I do." At that Gabriel pulled away from Rose slightly so he could look her in the eyes. "Don't you see? She was my responsibility and I failed. I have to correct that." He was silent for a moment and Rose tried to think of something to say to comfort him but before she could the pain and sorrow was washed from his face and replaced by a cheeky smile and twinkling eyes. "Now let's go to bed. You're leaving me for some time and I want to make the most of our last night together."

At that Rose just rolled her eyes at him but was quite happy to be lowered onto the bed and kiss her angel.

* * *

Dean was sitting on the bed doing a last minute check of the items he had packed when Cas came up behind him wrapping his arms around Deans waist and resting his chin and Deans shoulder.

"Hey angel." Dean murmured as he turned his head to gently kiss his partner on the cheek. "what's up?"

"I'm not an angel any more Dean and I am going to miss you." Castiel replied rubbing his head against the side of Deans.

"Well you should've have agreed to come with us then shouldn't you?" Dean replied cheekily.

"No. I need to talk to Gabriel. Something is eating at him and I need to help. He's my brother." Castiel sighed.

"Yeah I know. But don't be disappointed if he doesn't talk." Dean warned, thinking of all the times Sam had tried to get him to speak.

"Why do you say that?" Castiel asked not upset just curious.

"Well it's just that when I have worries I don't tell them to Sam." Dean replied honestly.

"No you tell them to me." Castiel whispered into his ear.

"Well I do now. Enough about Gabriel, let's go to bed." Dean answered, he didn't want to spend the last night he would have with Cas for a while talking about either of their brothers.

"I like that plan." And with that Castiel lay down pulling Dean with him who just chuckled and turned in his arms to kiss him passionately. He still couldn't get over all that Cas had given up for him. And he promised once again in his mind he would do everything he could to make it worth his angels while.

* * *

The next morning Gabriel didn't go to church instead when he woke with the woman he loved in his arms he just lay there watching her as she slept, the way he had done when he had been an archangel.

"Stop watching me." Rose mumbled with her eyes still closed.

"Sorry kiddo, that's never gonna happen. No matter what, I'll always be watching you." Gabriel replied with a smile. He said it causally but he knew that underneath the words lay the thought that he meant them. Even if he had to take back his grace, he father would not stop him from watching over his Rose. He could ban him from seeing her sure, but not from watching.

Something in his voice made Rose open her eyes and frown at him. Now what exactly did that mean? But she didn't have time to question him now. She had to get up and get ready to go on the road with her brothers. Hmm, just what was that going to be like? She wondered.

* * *

After breakfast they all went out to the car to wave of the Winchesters. Once the goodbyes where over with Rose made her way to the impala and got into the backseat as Dean and Sam took up there normal positions with Dean driving. She smiled to herself looking at them like this. It was the first time she would be going on a long journey with just the two of them in the car and she was secretly looking forward to watching there interactions from the back. It would surely keep her entertained at any rate.


	8. Chapter 7

**Hello my lovelies. I would like to thank rainystv for the wonderful review. I would also like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured since my last update.**

**So here we are next chapter. Hope you like the road trip.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Rose had enjoyed listening to Sam and Dean banter about Dean's taste in music, Sam's directions and anything else they could think of for the first couple of hours. But after being on the road that long everyone seemed to settle down and she was able to drift off into her own little world. One that consisted of worrying about Gabriel.

Something was very wrong with him and it wasn't just the whole having to kill his sister plan, though that thought alone sent a shiver up her spine. How would she feel if she had to kill Dean or Sam? Would she be able to do it? Could she? Though if the fate of the world rested on it she would have too. But it couldn't be easy thinking about it, and she knew that if it was any of the Winchesters they would do everything within their power to find a way to fix there sibling first. Was that what was worrying Gabriel? Was that what he was doing? Was he trying to find a way to resolve this issue with Eve without killing her? Was there even one? I mean if it was Lucifer that turned her into the mother of all monsters then surely only an archangel could change her back. And then maybe not even one of them. Lucifer was after all the devil. She was sure he dabbled in things that none of the other archangels could deal with. Of course that point was mute, they didn't have an archangel present, only a former one.

Did that hurt him? Did he think about the 'what if's? Was he regretting choosing her over his life in heaven? Argh there were so many questions going round in her head that she had no answers for, it was enough to drive her insane. She needed to stop thinking about it, think about something else instead. Like how they were going to convince a normal girl that the supernatural existed and that she was the descendent of Samuel colt and they needed her to come with them time travelling in the past so they could get the ash of a phoenix and kill the mother of all monsters.

Damn, they were screwed.

"So bros, you any idea what we're going to say to this girl, or are you just going to kidnap her?" Rose asked from the back seat. The silence that had descended on the car that originally she liked so much had suddenly become oppressive to her.

"Well I was thinking of asking her to come with us nicely rather than kidnap." Dean replied with a cheeky grin at her through the rear-view mirror that just made her roll her eyes at him.

"Please tell me you have a better plan Sam?" she said turning to her other brother.

"Use our F.B.I badges?" he replied with a shrug. To be honest he wasn't sure how to go about persuading someone the supernatural was real without some solid proof. I mean the most people they dealt with that they had to explain the supernatural to were the victims of the things they were hunting.

"Really guys? That's the best you got?" Rose asked in disbelief. That was there plan?

"Well what's your great plan then sis?" Dean asked with a roll of his eyes at her.

"What classes does she take?" Rose asked Sam ignoring Dean.

"Umm, she's a physics major." Sam replied reading from the computer in front of him. Though how he got the Wi-Fi signal Rose would never know.

"Well maybe you could talk to her about that." Rose suggested with a shrug that neither of her brothers could see. She had a feeling that Sam would be the best one to go in and get this girl to come and talk to them without making a scene.

"Yeah Sammy, go get your geek on." Dean said smirking at his brother's look of horror at having to discuss physics.

"You're more a geek than me Dean. I don't know any physics." Sam protested, he was studying law for god's sake. Not Newton's laws.

"You'll do fine Sammy." At that Dean turned up the music having decided that they now had a plan. Rose just sat there shaking her head. This so wasn't going to work.

* * *

Night was falling as they pulled up at a motel not far from the campus. Rose was so glad to be able to finally get out the car that she actually groaned as she stood and stretched causing both Dean and Sam to smirk at her in that identical way of theirs making her scowl in return.

"I think I'll just go get us a room." Sam said after one look at her face. He had learnt over the months not to mess with his sister, Dean on the other hand still hadn't seemed to have learnt that lesson he thought as he heard his brother tell Rose that she would be sleeping on the couch tonight as she was the shortest. Leaving them arguing he went to the office to get a twin room with a cot if available which, lucky for them all it was.

The three Winchesters made their way into the room, Dean and Sam threw their bags down on their respective beds while Rose placed hers next to the cot. Not that she minded being on the cot, to be honest right now she could sleep anywhere. Who knew sitting in a car all day would be so damn tiring?

"Right, so let's go get dinner." Dean announced as soon as they had all put their stuff down, Rose just rolled her eyes at him.

"Really food? now?" She asked in a whiny voice which caused Sam and Dean to share a look before they both moved and each grabbed one of her arms and dragged her out the door of their room with Dean responding to her whine.

"Oh yeah. Food."


	9. Chapter 8

**Hello all. I would like to thank rainystv for the lovely review.**

**So here's the next chapter, I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Gabriel had spent the morning after the Winchester siblings had left alternating between looking after Isobel and hiding from Castiel. he knew his brother had stayed behind just so he could talk to him, but Gabriel really didn't want to talk. Not to anyone. He had said all he was willing to say to Rose the night before. He was fine dealing with things in his own way. He did not need the help of his little brother.

Castiel on the other hand was getting frustrated with his brother. It seemed that he was either with Isobel or nowhere to be found. He needed to talk to him. He needed to know what was going through his brothers head. It was what family did.

* * *

Finally as the evening drew in Castiel realised he knew exactly where Gabriel would be. Heading up to Isobel's room he stood in the doorway quietly watching as his brother put her down for the night.

"Sweet dreams little one." Gabriel whispered as he kissed his sleepy niece goodnight then turned to leave the room only to find Castiel standing in the doorway with a look that clearly stated that he was not going to leave Gabriel alone until they had spoken. With a sigh Gabriel nodded at him and together they left, Gabriel making his way outside with a detour to the kitchen to grab a beer. He felt he might just need it.

Once outside Gabriel led them both far from the house, he didn't want anyone overhearing this conversation and by the way Castiel followed him without complaint it seemed his brother agreed.

They got to the other side of the yard before Gabriel stopped and leaning against one of the many broken cars turned to Castiel with the raise of an eyebrow.

Castiel watched his brother for a moment before he spoke, remembering Dean's words that Gabriel would be unlikely to talk. If that was the case then he would just have to gage the truth from Gabriel's reactions, and as such he would have to make sure he asked the appropriate questions. With that thought he took a deep breath and started with the one thing that was up most in his mind.

"Are you planning on returning to heaven Gabriel?" He asked quietly.

At the question Gabriel sighed gently and turned to look away. How was it Castiel always went straight for the jugular. Before he turned back to answer his brother he put his happy-go-lucky mask on his face.

"Not today Cassie, why want me to pick you up something?" He asked smirking.

Castiel frowned, he had seen his brother look away and when Gabriel had responded it worried him more than if he had been serious. Because if Gabriel hadn't denied it, then that meant it was a possibility. Was Gabriel planing on leaving him? Them? And is so why? He felt the fear building inside him at the thought but one look at Gabriel's face and he knew that he would never get a straight answer for any of those questions from him.

"Why are you hurt so much by the situation with Eve?" Castiel asked instead. It was something that he had been wondering for a while, ever since it had been confirmed that it was Eve they were dealing with and Gabriel's reaction to that.

"I'm a lot older than you Cassie. I remember how she was before." Gabriel replied softly not looking at Castiel but taking a swallow of his beer, though now he was wishing he'd picked up a bottle of whiskey instead.

"What was she like Gabriel?" Castiel asked gently. This was the Gabriel he didn't really know. The Gabriel who had loved heaven and his family.

"Sweet, she was so very sweet. Innocent and loving and kind. The best of humanity, until our brother destroyed her, and now I get to finish the job." Gabriel replied bitterly making Castiel frown.

"What do you mean Gabriel?" Castiel asked with a frown, what was his brother talking about?

"Well someone's got to kill her Cassie, and it ain't gonna be any of you." Gabriel replied dropping his empty bottle onto the floor and watching it roll away. If only he could do that with the thoughts in his head.

"But we have just as much chance as you do Gabriel." Castiel said in a reassuring voice. His brother did not have to do this. He did not need to be in this fight.

"No you don't. I've seen this show, I know the play and this script is mine alone." Gabriel replied with a bitter laugh and a hard look in his eyes as he looked straight at Castiel.

"You are not alone Gabriel." Castiel responded, he wished that he could get this through to his brother, though he didn't hold out any hope for that.

"I know Cassie, I know." Gabriel replied wearily looking away then with yet another sigh.

"Gabriel-" Castiel tried but Gabriel cut him off.

"Don't worry about me little brother. You just keep your eyes on your hunter okay? I will be fine." He said pulling Castiel into a hug which startled the former angel. Before Castiel could respond by wrapping his arms around his brother Gabriel was gone, walking back to the house as if nothing had happened. Castiel had hoped that talking to his brother would help put his mind at rest, but all it had done was make him more worried. It was with this realisation that he knew exactly what he would be doing tomorrow morning. He would be following Gabriel to wherever it was he went and he would find the answers to his questions about his brother.


	10. Chapter 9

**Hello again. So here we are, the next bit, hope you like.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

The next morning Castiel was up with the crack of dawn to keep an eye on when Gabriel left. He knew it would be early, but he hoped that with Rose away it would not be too early, he did after all need to care for Isobel, and his brother won't just leave her without anyone to look after her. And so he pasted the time in his and Dean's room listening to the house come alive around him. He heard doors go to both Gabriel and Bobby's rooms then quiet words been spoken downstairs and he wondered if Bobby knew. Not that it mattered he thought when he heard the front door go.

Making his way downstairs he saw Bobby sitting at the kitchen table with a mug of coffee in front of him. He walked through without saying a word, or at least he tried to.

"You'll never catch up with him." Bobby said not looking up from the book he was reading.

"Do you know where he is going?" Castiel asked. At that Bobby did look up and him and just thought for a moment before he sighed and went to grab a map of the local area. Handing it to Castiel he spoke.

"There's a church about 5 miles from here. That's where you'll find your brother." He said gruffly then returned to his book.

"Thank you Bobby." Castiel responded moving towards the door. Once he had left Bobby looked up from the book he wasn't really reading with a frown on his face. He hoped to god he had just done the right thing. Though it was what Rose wanted him to do so this was on her head now. With that he finished his coffee and went to see if Isobel was ready to get up.

* * *

Castiel pulled up outside the isolated church with a frown marring his features. Why would his brother come here? It obviously wasn't a well-used church. Maybe that was why? But why come to a church at all? It's not as if there father lived in them despite what humans may beliEve. In fact Castiel always felt closest to their father in the wilds of nature. Surrounded by trees and streams. That which he designed. So why was Gabriel here? Well only one way to find out. With that Castiel got out of the car and made his way to the partially open door, peering round the edges he saw that the church inside was small but well-kept and more importantly for his purposes, had stone columns running the length of the building to help support the roof. Moving cautiously he made his way to the first column and looked round for his brother. Seeing Gabriel kneeing at the altar he made his silent way forwards in the hopes of catching his words.

* * *

Gabriel had spent the night thinking over the conversation he had had with Castiel. Whether his brother meant to or not he reminded Gabriel of something that he had forgotten about killing Eve. And that something was plaguing his mind. So as soon as he heard Bobby waken he made his way down stairs to ask him to watch Isobel for him as he went out. He would have asked Castiel but he knew his brother would question his destination, whereas Bobby would not. So with that arranged he left to make the short journey to the church.

Once there he made his way to the altar. What he had to say was too important for a pew this morning.

"Hey dad, how's it going? I remembered something last night, well in actual fact Cassie reminded me, not that he knows that and I'm rambling but there you go. It's me. Anywho what I remembered was this. The only way Dean could kill Eve with the phoenix ash was by having her turn him into, and I can't believe I'm saying this, a Jefferson Starship. He got the ash into her through her drinking his blood. Then, and this is the thing Castiel then fixed him with his angel powers. But we don't have an angel on our side anymore. Which means one of us is going to die. And I don't mean going to die and come join you in heaven die, but be condemned to an eternity in purgatory, and this time there will be no escape route, cos whoever it is will have been a monster. This has brought me to the realisation that I have 3 options here. 1. I can walk away, like I have always done and leave Dean-o to his fate. Cos let's be honest he ain't gonna let anyone else take that fall. 2. I can be the one that Eve turns and spend the rest of eternity in purgatory. Or 3. I become an archangel again and whichever way this goes down I will kill Eve.

Now option 1 really isn't an option in my mind. I couldn't do that to Cassie and Rose, so no. I'm not walking away from this fight. Which leaves me with a choice to make. Purgatory or heaven. Do you know what the funniest thing about that is? I have no idea which to choose. You'd think it would be obvious wouldn't you? But it's not. Not to me. I could really use some of your wisdom right now old man. Please dad, just give me some advice." And with that Gabriel dropped his head in his hands as the tears he'd kept back at his realisation started to fall. And just when he had given up the idea of his father responding he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned with a look of hope in his eyes only to find the priest of the church standing beside him.

"You are not alone my child, never forget that. And while the lord may not give you answers, that does not mean he is not listening."

* * *

Castiel stood behind the pillar trying to make himself breath quietly, no wonder Gabriel had gone distance from them all. He was trying to decide not only his fate, but the fate of their family and the world. His choice was not one Castiel could ever envision having to make. Purgatory or heaven, was it really a choice? Was there really no other way? As the priest approached his brother Castiel was slowly making his way out of the church. Gabriel may find it better to pray to god here. But Castiel had another place in mind. There had to be another way. A way to save his brother, and he would make his father reveal it to him. Even if it was the last thing he did on this earth. He would save his brother. If Dean had taught him nothing else, it was family mattered more than anything.


	11. Chapter 10

**Hello again. So here we are. The next chapter, I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

The Winchesters had got up early and eaten breakfast before driving to the campus in the hopes of tracking down Melissa Baeburn. It was easier than any of them thought it would be to find her. She had just come out of a lecture and then made her way to the library where it seemed she settled in for a long study session. The Winchesters had discretely followed her and now in hushed voices Sam was arguing with the other two.

"I can't just go up to her and start talking." He exclaimed in a whisper.

"Yeah Sammy you can. I mean look at her, she's a hot college chick. You got this." Dean replied in an equally low voice making both Rose and Sam turn to look at Melissa.

Yeah okay she was hot. She had long brown hair tied back in a ponytail and minimal makeup. But it was her eyes that really caught Sam's attention they were big and brown and warm somehow, and yet they held an intelligence and a knowledge that she knew more than everyone else around her did. It was captivating. His staring at her was cut short by his brother coughing loudly to get his attention.

"What?" Sam asked.

"Don't just stand there staring, go talk to the girl Sam." Rose said before Dean could reply.

"I hate you both for this you know that right?" Sam said furiously as he made his way over to the table she was sitting on, picking up a random book on the way. sitting down opposite her he gave her a friendly smile as she looked up then opened the book pretending to read when her head went back down.

* * *

Dean and Rose watched Sam as he sat from around the bookcase. And when he did nothing else Dean rolled his eyes and whispered furiously.

"Oh god, is he really our brother? I mean he can't even talk to a hot girl. What's wrong with him?"

"Well to be fair, taking her time travelling to the wide west is not your usual first date." Rose replied with humour lacing her words.

"True, but let's be honest even if he was just asking her out for a drink he wouldn't be getting anywhere." Dean responded frowning, he would have to think of a way to get them talking somehow.

* * *

Sam was well aware that Dean and Rose were watching him. Which really didn't help. But unlike Dean he knew he couldn't just go up to this girl and ask her out, she was the type that would just turn him down flat. So he had come up with a plan.

"Excuse me, don't suppose you've got some spare paper do you? I seemed to have come out without my stuff." He asked Melissa with a charming smile on his face which she returned before tearing some paper out of her pad for him.

"Thanks, don't suppose you also have a spare pen by any chance?" Sam asked doing his best puppy dog eyes at her.

Melissa just rolled her eyes at him before she spoke. "Would you like me to do your work for you as well?" she asked sweetly, though humour glinted in her eyes.

"Yeah okay, I'm not here to do any work." Sam replied shutting the book he had open in front of him.

"Really? You surprise me." Melissa said in a sarcastic tone.

"The truth is I was wondering if I could buy you a coffee." Sam asked taking the plunge. He needed to get her out of here so they could talk.

"I know just the place. It serves the best coffee on campus." Melissa replied with a flirtatious smile on her face.

"Awesome. Lead on." Sam said smiling back at her. With that Melissa packed up her bag and her and Sam left the library with Dean and Rose following at a discrete distance.

* * *

Melissa looked at the tall man beside her, smiling as she turned down the small alley between the library and the next building. As soon as they were away from the eyes of the rest of the world she dropped her bag and turned pinning the guy against the wall with her arm across his throat.

"Why are you following me?" She growled at him, the flirtatious girl gone to be replaced by a woman who didn't take any shit from anyone.

"This is eerily reminiscent of your first meeting with you mum back in 1973 right?" Rose asked Dean as they turned down the alley to find Melissa had Sam pinned against the wall and he was just looking at her with wide eyes.

"Yeah but she was a … Son of a bitch." Dean exclaimed as he realised exactly what was going on.

"I hope not." Rose muttered to herself under her breath with a smirk on her lips as Dean moved towards Sam and Melissa.

"You're a hunter." Dean stated, it wasn't a question.

"What's it to you what I do in my free time?" Melissa growled at him.

"He meant supernatural hunter." Rose clarified.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Melissa demanded. What were three hunters doing here following her?

"I'm Rose Winchester, that man you have pinned to the wall is my brother Sam and this one is Dean." Rose replied with a smile on her lips. She like this woman.

"The Winchesters? Of course you are." Melissa said with a roll of her eyes as she released Sam. "That doesn't explain why you are following me." She continued.

"We need your help." Sam replied pulling himself away from the wall and clearing his throat. Damn she was strong.

"I don't have it." Melissa said crossing her arms and glaring at all three of them.

"Have what?" Sam asked confused. How could she know what they were looking for?

"The gun. That's what you're after right? Well I don't have the colt so leave me alone." Melissa replied in a tried voice. She was fed up with people looking for that damn thing.

"We're not after the gun." Dean said in a no nonsense voice, neglecting to mention that they already had it.

"Then what do you want?" Melissa asked confused. If they weren't after the gun then what the hell did they want with her?

"I think it would be best if we took this conversation somewhere more private." Rose intervened looking up and down the alley to make sure that no one was approaching.

"Oh please. Just spit it out." Melissa responded with a roll of her eyes. Did they really think she would have attacked in a place which people often frequent? She knew better than that.

"We need the ash of a phoenix." Sam replied not taking his eyes off of her face.

"Well I don't have that either." Melissa responded with a look as if she thought they were crazy on her face, and maybe they were.

"No but we need your help getting it." Sam said with a charming smile on his lips. Trying to persuade her they really weren't crazy.

"What can't kill a beasty on your own?" Melissa asked in a taunting tone to him not taking her eyes from Sam's.

"It's not that. The last phoenix died in 1861." Sam replied staring right back at her. Damn she really did have gorgeous eyes.

"How the hell I am supposed to help you get the ash then?" Melissa asked Sam, it was almost as if there was no one else there except them.

"We have a spell which can take us back to the time but it is a blood to blood spell." Rose responded before Sam could, though not to be out done he spoke.

"Meaning we need a descendent of someone who was there at the time."

"I know what a blood to blood spell is Sam." Melissa said rolling her eyes at him yet somehow not breaking the eye contact they shared.

"So will you help us?" Sam asked with sincerity.

"Why me?" Melissa asked gently in return.

"Because Samuel colt was there and you're his last living descendant." Sam replied.

At that Mellissa broke the eye contact with Sam by closing hers as she muttered. "Oh crap."

"Will you help us?" Rose asked getting desperate. She needed this woman's help, they needed this woman's help. Gabriel needed this woman to help.

"What's so important about this ash anyway?" Melissa asked opening her eyes and looking at each of them in turn.

"It's the only thing that will kill the mother of all monsters that has decided to walk the earth." Dean replied in a fake joyful tone.

"Eve." Melissa whispered as she paled. She finally realised exactly what was happening, and exactly what was at stake.

"How do you know that name?" Dean asked confused. Until a few days ago he had never heard of Eve. Or at least not in relation to being the mother of all monsters at any rate.

"There's a story past down through the family, but that doesn't matter. Yes I'll help you." Melissa replied absently as she frowned trying to remember the story exactly. She had a feeling she was going to need it on this little journey of hers.

"Thank you." Sam said to her sincerely smiling once again.

"I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for humanity." Melissa replied with another eye roll.

"Still thanks." Sam said again with a shrug.

At that Melissa just huffed and picked up her bag before turning back to them.

"So you got a car or what?" she asked making Dean turn to led them all back to his baby.


	12. Chapter 11

**Hello again, and again. You know what I mean. So I would like to thank rainystv for the lovely review. I'm glad you are enjoying the story.**

**Right as usual the bits in italics are memories.**

**So here we go, next chapter. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural nor any of the lines I have taken from the show.**

* * *

Castiel drove away from the church and just kept driving until he couldn't see any buildings around him. He then pulled his car up and sat for a moment just looking out at the view in front of him, trying to work out exactly what he wanted to say to his father. With a deep breath he got out of the car and made his way towards what the map he had said was a stream. Reaching it he sat, time to speak to his father.

"Hello father. I know I have not spoken to you since I left. I have felt no need. I know I made the right choice and I wouldn't change it. But I now need your help. Though in truth it is not for me but for Gabriel. I know he has been praying to you so I will not bore you with the story. No matter if you do not speak back to him I believe you do listen. There must be another way. Another solution other than him going to purgatory or heaven. Please father, show us another way.

You may wonder why I am here begging you to help, I have met you only once and do not have the relationship with you that Gabriel does. But I've been here a very long time, and I remember many things. But one memory stands out from the rest at present. I remember being at a shoreline, watching a little grey fish heave itself up on the beach and Gabriel saying "don't step on that fish, Castiel. Big plans for that fish." He's my brother and he will always be my brother. I don't want him to die father. Please I beg you, give us a sign. Do not let everything we have done be in vain."

And with that Castiel rose from his sitting position and made his way back to his car. All he could do now was hope that god heard his plea.

* * *

It was midday before the Winchesters with Melissa in tow started there journey back to Bobby's. Dean knew they wouldn't make it back that day, but he hoped they would return by lunch time tomorrow and maybe then they would be able to put their plan into action. Get the ash of the phoenix that they needed and gank the bitch Eve before she could do anymore harm to the world.

* * *

Gabriel awoke finding it hard to breathe. He automatically reached out for Rose only to find the bed empty beside him. Of course she wasn't here. It was her second night away from him and god how he missed her right now. He tried to shake of the feeling the dream had left him with. Dream, hell it seemed so much more real than that, but it had never happened. He would remember it if it had, won't he? With that, he thought about lying back down and trying to get some more sleep but something won't let him. And so shaking his head at his own stupidity he got out of bed and made his way across the room to the safe he had installed for his and Rose's precious and dangerous possessions. Not that he owned much, but most of what he had as an archangel was in that safe.

He reached up and punched in the code, one that only he and Rose knew, though only he knew why he had chosen it. To her it was just a set of six random numbers, but to him it was a date that everyone else had forgotten. It was the date of his one true friend's birth.

Opening the door he was greeted by his archangel blade shining at him from the front, but that wasn't what he was looking for now. No what he wanted was something that, to most people, would seem worthless, though it fact it was the most precious thing in the world. Reaching to the back of the safe he pulled out the small perfectly crafted wooden box, on the top of which was engraved an enochian symbol. Closing the safe he took the box and sat down on the bed with it in his hand tracing the symbol with his thumb. He could remember the day this way carved as if it was yesterday.

_Gabriel sat with his feet up watching his friend making a small box. It wasn't something he would normally make and thus the archangel was intrigued._

_"What ya doing?" He asked cheekily knowing that most of the people at this time would not understand him, but his friend had been around him long enough to pick up on his less than conventional meanderings._

_"Mother has given me her most precious possession. I am making something with which to hold It." his friend replied not looking up from his work._

_Gabriel looked at him thoughtful. He knew what his friend's mother's most prized possession was. With that he clicked his fingers and paper and pen appeared in his hand. Quickly scribbling something down he tossed the paper to his friend who had just watched on in amusement. With another click the pen disappeared and his friend looked down at the paper._

_"What is this?" he asked referring to the symbol Gabriel had drawn._

_"It's an enochian protection symbol. It means that if it's ever lost it will be returned to its creator." Gabriel replied with a shrug._

_"Thank you Gabriel. You are a true friend." His friend said with a soft smile for the archangels thoughtfulness._

_"Just doing my job." Gabriel smirked at him. With that his friend turned back to the box and carefully carved the symbol into the top._

Gabriel came back from the memory and looked down at the box in his hand and remembered the dream he had had that sent him to retrieve it. It was strange. He had, for a long time now, been looking for the right time to place what was inside this box on its rightful home. But now? With all that was going on and all he had realised, was now really the right time? Or was his dream just a wish, a way to hang on to things that didn't seem meant to be. He truly didn't know, all he did know was that the answer would come to him. He just hoped it was sometime soon. With that Gabriel lay back down still holding the box tightly in his hand and closed his eyes, drifting back into a restless sleep or monsters and trees and angels and heaven and Rose standing in front of it all with love shining in her eyes.


	13. Chapter 12

**Hello people. I would like to thank rainystv for the wonderful review. **

**So here's the next chapter, I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

The Winchester siblings with Melissa in tow returned to Bobby's at midday the following day. As soon as the engine had cut out from the impala the front door opened and a two year old little girl came running out screaming "Mummy, Daddy." Over and over until both Dean and Rose had exited the vehicle and then she flung herself on each of them in turn.

This understandably confused Melissa somewhat, she had been told they were brother and sister, how could the child be calling them mom and dad? Unless she called everyone that? That final idea was smashed when the girl next turned to the last Winchester and shouted "Uncle Sammy." Who picked her up and threw her in the air as if she weighed nothing before passing her to his sister.

* * *

Sam had watched Melissa get out the car and take in the scene of his niece greeting two of her parents. He always found it entertaining to watch the confusion on people's faces, though when they started to get weary he was usually the one to explain the situation. After all it was only those that they trusted that ever got to meet Isobel anyway. But this time he decided to stir it up a bit first. Leaning over to Melissa who looked like she had no clue what was going on he said quietly. "Just wait, it gets weirder."

Melissa turned to him to ask how the hell it could be any weirder when she heard "Hello Dean." Spoken in a deep gravelly voice, a voice which just oozed love and affection for the man despite its tone. Turning she was just in time to see Dean wrap his arms around a dark haired man before he leaned down and gave him a passionate kiss.

"Your brothers gay?" Melissa asked in disbelief. She really hadn't thought Dean was that way inclined but at least it explained the whole mom, dad sibling thing. No doubt Rose was Dean and his partner's surrogate.

"Honestly? I have no idea if he is bisexual or just Cas-sexual. And I don't think I really want to know anymore. What I do know is that they love each other and that's good enough for me. Don't worry I explain it all to you later." Sam replied with a smile on his face as he watched his brother greet his angel, though the smile soon turned to a bitchface as Dean and Cas got even more passionate.

"Hey get a room jerk." He yelled at them only to have Dean pull away from Cas long enough to shout back.

"Your just jealous cos you don't have your own angel bitch."

"Now Dean-o behave. We have a guest and she looks somewhat confused." Said a new voice entering the fray, and though neither Sam nor Dean seemed to take much notice of it Melissa saw Rose react with a loving smile and the man in Deans arms frown slightly. Turning she saw a short blond guy, he didn't look like much on the surface, but there was something about him. Something that told her that he was not someone you crossed and lived to tell the tale. He seemed to contain a power she couldn't define. Yet looking at everyone else she realised that to them he was just, whoever he was. They certainly weren't scared of him. Loved yes, annoyed with yes, but scared? No. just who were these people that a guy like that didn't scare them? Just how much of the stories of the Winchester's she had heard where true?

"Bite me Gabriel." Dean replied completely unimpressed by his intervention.

"And here I was thinking that was my brother's job." Gabriel responded with a smirk to the eldest Winchester.

At that Rose rolled her eyes. Even when he had come to greet her Gabriel still found a way to wind up Dean. "Okay how about we take this inside and we can explain our rather unconventional family to Melissa." She said trying to diffuse the situation. She didn't need the two of them sniping at each other right now.

"What do you mean unconventional? We are perfectly conventional, we have the father figure in Bobby, the three children and grandchild in the Winchesters, and then a former demon, angel and archangel. Now tell me what is unconventional about that." Gabriel replied putting his arms around Rose and giving her a gentle kiss.

"I missed you." Rose said softly as their lips parted.

"I missed you to kiddo." Gabriel replied and looking into his eyes she realised that that sentence held more truth than she understood. Frowning she was about to ask but then the look was gone and Gabriel turned to the others. "Come on Bobby and Crowley are in the study waiting."

And with that everyone trooped inside, but not before Rose caught the stricken look Castiel cast his brother as he held tightly to Deans hand. She had no idea what had happened but she felt that she and Castiel would need to have a nice long private conversation about it once they had all settled back in.

* * *

"... So we need to go back to 1861 to get phoenix ash and meet Samuel Colt." Sam finished with. Once they had all sat down it was Sam who had been chosen to explain the plan to Melissa who throughout it all had sat there with a passive look on her face.

"Okay. So when are we going to go?" Melissa asked. She didn't really need to hear the plan, she had a vague idea of what was going to happen from the family story. Though it was only vague. It had been a long time since she had heard it after all.

"Well no time like the present." Dean replied slapping his hands together and rubbing them making Castiel frown at him that he seemed so keen to leave him again.

"Well actually squirrel there is. We need some more ingredients that are coming tomorrow. And anyway I would have thought you would want to spend some quality time with kitten, what with having been pining for him for two whole days." Came the British accented voice of the older man who had sat reading a book throughout the whole of Sam's explanation.

"Shut up Crowley." Dean growled at him though he did reach out and squeeze Cas' hand.

"Well before anyone can go Dean-o, I think we should decide who is going." Gabriel intervened. As Sam had been talking he had been thinking, or more to the point remembering. Remembering two things, the episode of the TV show Supernatural from the other universe where Sam and Dean went back to get the ash and his dream of the night before. The memory of that dream had made him subconsciously finger the wooden box he had in his pocket. When he had woken with it still in his hand he had thought he had made his decision and was going to return it to the safe. But he couldn't do it. So now, here he was wondering if his dream was even possible. He of all people knew time was fluid, and as such, anything was possible. But if his dream was true? Then he needed to make sure that certain people went on this little journey into the past.

Dean turned to Gabriel confused by the that. Wasn't it obvious? "Well, me, Sam, Cas and Melissa of course." He finally replied making Gabriel roll his eyes at him.

"Cas can't go." Gabriel said slowly as if speaking to a child.

"Why not?" Dean demanded

"Hello he was an angel. He's kinda already there." Gabriel replied shaking his head at Dean's stupidity.

Before Dean could come up with a response Castiel spoke. "I agree with Gabriel Dean. I cannot go."

"Fine. So just the three of us." Dean replied exasperated. It seemed that Cas wasn't destined to go on any of this hunt with him, well at least he had his brother at his back.

"One of us should go. We know who the phoenix is after all." Rose said from where she was perched on the arm of Gabriel's chair looking at him.

"Hu?" Melissa asked completely confused by that sentence making Sam smile.

"Later." He said softly to her before turning back to watch his sister and the former archangel.

"You're right, you should go." Gabriel looked up at him with a smile.

"Are you sure?" she asked, I mean if they needed a fighter Gabriel would be better than her.

At that Gabriel chuckled. Damn the Winchesters were so alike at times. "Hello former trickster archangel. You're even more likely to run into me than you are Cassie." He said with a smile but not before Rose saw a flash of something in his eyes. It was something she couldn't quite define. But it made her narrow her eyes at him. Just what was that about? What secrets was Gabriel hiding from her now?

"Okay I'll go." She finally said when Gabriel would say no more. Damn him. She would have a good talk with him about this. When she had the bloody time.

"So the Winchester sibling's ride again. And Melissa." Dean said smiling happily at everyone, though why he was quite so happy about going to 1861 to fight a phoenix was a question no one was sure they really wanted the answer too.

With that everyone but Bobby and Crowley departed, splitting into couples, to catch up after their time away, or in the case of Melissa, be briefed on the crazy history of the Winchester family as Sam knew it.


	14. Chapter 13

**Hello all. So here we are, the next chapter I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Dean led Cas away from the house and out into the yard where they wouldn't be over heard. Yes all he really wanted to do was take his partner to bed, but there was something on Cas' mind, he could tell. So it would best if they talked about that away from the others.

"Okay Cas spill." He said leaning back against one of the cars once they had reached a secluded spot.

Castiel looked down at the ground and frowned. He did not want to lie to Dean, but nor did he feel like he could tell him everything he had learnt from following Gabriel. He did not want Dean to know that if they went ahead with their plan then either he or Gabriel would end up in purgatory. And so he choose to tell Dean of the other option.

"It seems Gabriel is considering taking back his grace." He finally said looking up into the eyes of the man he loved.

"What? You can do that?" Dean asked standing up straight in shock and his eyes widening. He had no idea that they could go back if they wanted to.

"Yes, if we wish. But if we do then there is no coming back. We must re-join the host and follow our father." Castiel explained hoping Dean would understand with that explanation just what his previous statement meant.

"And do you wish to?" Dean asked in a quiet voice. Was Cas thinking of leaving him? Of returning to heaven? He wouldn't blame him if he was, after all who was Dean? A nobody compared to the angel in front of him.

"No Dean. I am happy here with you. I will never want to leave." Castiel's reply was instantaneous and with it he reached out and took hold of both of Dean's hands hoping that he would understand that he would never leave him. He loved him more than anything. He would never go.

"Yeah well I thought Gabe was happy too." Dean replied with a sad smile on his lips as he looked down at his and Cas' clasped hands.

"He is. But it seems that there is another way to kill Eve." Castiel explained.

"What's that?" Dean asked his head shooting up at Cas' words. If there was another way, then why the hell were they going to all this trouble?

"At the hands of an archangel." Castiel replied with gravity in his voice making the words sink into Dean's mind faster. That sentence really did explain everything Cas had told him so far.

"But we have a plan." He said trying to deny the fact that Gabriel had considered otherwise. Would he really leave Rose, so he could kill Eve?

"I think Gabriel is thinking of taking back his grace as a backup, or a way that none of us get hurt." Castiel responded not looking up at Dean as he said the words. They were the closest he could get to telling Dean that part of what he had overheard.

"Are any of us going to get hurt Cas?" Dean asked gently trying to make eye contact with his angel.

"I don't know Dean. Gabriel did not …" Castiel said but trailed off as he couldn't find anything suitable to say, instead opting for staring of to the side.

"Did not what?...Cas?" Dean asked giving his angels hands a squeeze in the hopes of getting him to turn and look at him. He didn't like it when Cas wouldn't look at him. That always meant that things were bad.

"He did not tell me any of this." Castiel finally replied turning and looking Dean in the eyes.

"Then how do you know?" Dean asked suspicious now.

"I followed him to church one morning and heard him pray to our father." Castiel replied shamed by his actions, though he knew that if Gabriel left again to go to that church he would follow. Not that he would be telling Dean that, or at least not until after the fact he corrected.

"Oh Cas. You shouldn't have done that." Dean said with a sigh for his partner.

"I needed to know Dean, we needed to know." Castiel replied with conviction. He knew he was right about this. Especially considering what he knew that Dean did not.

"Yeah but stil, to follow him? He's gonna be pissed when he finds out." Dean said with a shake of his head thinking about how if it had been him and Sam he would be likely to kill his little brother if he followed him.

"I am aware Dean. He is my brother." Castiel replied with a hint of steel threading through his words. Not that he was cross with Dean more the fact that he seemed to forget just who he and Gabriel truly were. Family.

"I know, I'm sorry angel, come here." Dean said quickly realising his mistake and pulling Cas into his arms before he continued speaking into the former angels hair. "I know you're just looking out for him as I look out for Sam and Rose." A sudden thought came into Deans head with that and he grabbed Cas by the arms and pulled him so he could look into this face before he asked "Wait does Rose know?"

"I do not believe so." Castiel replied with a tilt of his head as he thought over all he had discussed with her and all he had heard in the church. This seemed to be a new development for Gabriel and as such he truly did not think Dean's sister was aware.

"Are you going to tell her?" Dean asked cautiously. He wasn't sure if they should or not to be honest. This was unknown territory for him.

"Not yet. I think I will wait until your return from 1861 before I bring it up. Hopefully I will have a chance to talk to Gabriel while you are gone." Castiel replied though in his head he added hopefully god will give me a solution while you are away.

"Yeah that sounds good Cas. Now come on, I haven't seen you in three days. I've missed my angel loving." Dean said with smirk on his face, Clearing his mind of their family.

And Castiel just rolled his eyes and muttered "Dean" half-heartedly but allowed his hunter to lead him back to the house and there room.


	15. Chapter 14

**Hello again. So next chapter enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Sam and Melissa where sitting on the front porch with a couple of beers in hand as he explained all she wanted to know about his family.

"So let me get this straight, your sister is dating the former archangel Gabriel who took her to an alternate reality where this was all a TV show. They came back with future knowledge to changes things, which they did by her dying closing the gates of hell and him making a deal with god that all angels would leave earth. Right?" Melissa asked trying really hard to get this all straight in her head. I mean this was just crazy.

"Yes." Sam replied with a smile.

"Okay. Then there's your brother who went to hell after selling his soul to bring you back to life and he was pulled out by an angel called Castiel who just so happens is now his boyfriend and also human." She continued frowning at that bit, though it did seem that it worked out in the end, somehow.

"Yes." Sam said with less of a smile this time as he remembered all that had happened while Dean was in hell and after. How he had betrayed his brother.

"This pulling out of hell created a human soul from angel grace which impregnated your sister and that is you're niece, and why she has at least three parents." Melissa finished with. That bit was just freaky in her mind.

"Not the way I would have put it but yep that's about it." Sam nodded taking a swig of his beer while thinking about all the things he had left unsaid. God he had given her the Cliffs Notes version of their life and it had still taken at least an hour to go through. There was so much more she was yet to hear. So much about him. Would she still like him if she knew he had started the apocalypse? Even if he did stop it, it certainly wasn't his finest moment. But secretly, somewhere deep in the back of his mind, he hoped she would never have to find out.

"Wow, and I thought the stories I had heard about you guys were weird, but that, that takes the prize." Melissa said after a moment of digesting all the new information.

"Yeah well, we're not exactly a normal family." Sam replied bitterly making Melissa realise that she had only touched the tip of the Winchester history lesson, but she also knew that Sam did not want to go into the rest right now. Well that only seemed fair, she hadn't exactly divulged her family history to him either. He knew she was the last of the Colt line and had grown up hunting but that was it. And quite frankly she didn't want to tell him anything else, not right now. Maybe one day they could be completely honest with each other. But that day was not today. No for today she just wanted to pretend they were a normal man and woman enjoying each other's company before they went time travelling tomorrow. Well okay that certainly wasn't normal, but so what right? Here she was with a hot guy just kicking back and drinking beer. Yeah she was happy with what she had learnt. It was enough for now. Well almost, there was one other that puzzled her and Sam hadn't mentioned him at all.

"So how does Crowley fit into this, whose he?" She asked.

"Oh he's the demon Rose cured when she closed the gates of hell." Sam replied completely blasé about the whole thing.

"A former demon." Melissa asked in astonishment.

"Yeah." Sam replied with a chuckle. He guessed if you thought about it, Crowley was a rather strange house guest. Though now he guessed he was kinda family, in a weird way.

"Okay. So what about you Sam? Where do you fit into all this crazy?" Melissa asked hoping to lighten the mood. She really did like this guy.

"I'm the black sheep." Sam replied with a smirk.

"How so?" she asked with a frown. How could Sam be the black sheep? I mean really? He seemed so good.

"I'm the one at law school." At that Melissa laughed out loud. To think going to college was considered black sheep status was a classic in her mind. Though thinking about it. She guessed she was the same.

"I know what you mean. If my family were alive they would be horrified that I'm studying." She said once she had her laughter under control with a far off look in her eyes.

"I've got to ask, why physics?" Sam said. It had been bugging him ever since he found out she knew about the supernatural. I mean physics? It wasn't really a useful to humanity subject was it?

"I'm pre-med and I like it. Why law?" Melissa countered with. When she said she was pre-med everything made sense to Sam. Yeah being a doctor was a good thing to want to do.

"I get to help people I guess. And medicine was never really my thing, but I love the research side of law." He replied smiling at her. It was strange, they were so similar in some ways.

"Wow you should have been a man of letters." Melissa replied jokingly with a smile up at him that he thought so beautiful that for a moment her words didn't register.

"A what?" He asked confused. What the hell was a man of letters?

"They were a society that researched the supernatural, but there all gone now." Melissa replied looking away sadly. She had often heard her family speak of them as great, but she never knew how they came to an end. It was just one of things lost in the past she supposed.

"How?" Sam asked curious that he had never heard of this society. Surely he or Dean would have right?

"No idea. I just heard vague references from my family over the years, that's all." Melissa replied with a shrug. It wasn't really anything of importance now.

"Strange that we never heard of them." Sam said somewhat wistfully at the idea.

"Well your family are new to the hunting game. Generationally speaking anyway. They were gone before the Winchesters came onto the scene." She replied with a smile at the look of almost longing in his eyes.

"Wonder if Bobby knows anything about them?" Sam said contemplatively and Melissa realised that if she didn't change the subject soon then Sam would be gone into the house to research the men of letters. And she didn't want him to go. And there was one bit of information that she really wanted the answer to from the man sitting beside her.

"No idea. So tell me Samuel Winchester. You got a girlfriend stashed away at college?" She asked slyly with a cheeky smile on her lips. Though she really wanted the answer. I mean this guy was seriously hot, but if he was taken then there was no point in her even thinking about what could happen between them. If he felt the same way at any rate. But first things first.

"Umm, no why?" Sam asked curious. Was she asking cos she liked him like he liked her? Was there a chance that they could possibly have what his brother and sister had with their angels? Could she be the one for him? Was he getting way to ahead of himself? Probably.

"Just idle curiosity." Melissa replied in a nonchalant tone, though inside she was smiling madly. He was single, yeah first step sorted. The only question was did he like her as well?

"Right. You got a boyfriend back at Washington?" Sam asked trying really hard to sound causal but he had a horrible feeling that he failed miserably at it.

"No. free and single, that's me." Melissa replied smiling flirtatiously. She had heard the hope in Sam's voice and that was all she needed.

"Is that so?" Sam turned to her with a flirtatious smile of his own.

"Yep." And with that Sam gently lowered his lips to hers giving her a sweet and gentle kiss. Once he pulled away they just smiled at each other, then turned to look out at the view around them and settled into a comfortable silence, both hoping that it was the being of something special between them.


	16. Chapter 15

**Hello again. Okay time to explain the box. I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural, and all story lines of this story are completely fictional and come from my mind. They have no grounding in reality, history or religion.**

* * *

Gabriel and Rose had spent the day with Isobel. Dean and Cas joining them a little later. It was a nice day, peaceful and relaxing, but all Gabriel could think about was that dream and the box in his pocket. Finally Isobel was in bed and he and Rose were alone in their room getting ready to settle down for the night. Gabriel sat on their bed once again fingering the box in his pocket before he took a deep breath. It was now or never.

"Rose there's something I want to give you before you go." He said making her turn around. When he said nothing more just patted the bed next to him she made her way over, wondering what on earth was going on now.

"Okay, what?" She asked once she was sitting comfortably on the bed facing him.

Gabriel took another deep breath to firstly settle his nerves and secondly to give him the courage to do what it was he was about to do. In all his life before he met Rose he never believed that this day would come to pass. With that he pulled the wooden box from his pocket, subconsciously running his finger over the enochian symbol once more before he held it out to her with a "This."

Rose took the box with a puzzled frown on her face. She looked at the design on top and realised it was enochian, not that she could read it. The box looked old, as in really old, but it was in good condition. Carefully so she wouldn't damage it she opened the box and what she saw inside made her eyes go wide.

Nestled in the box was a simple wedding band. It looked silver, but it shined so bright she knew it wasn't. If the ring was the same age as the box it should have looked tarnished and old, but it didn't. If anything it looked brand new.

"Is this-?" She asked in wonder finally pulling her eyes from the box to stare at Gabriel. Was he asking her to marry him?

"Yes, well no, but yes." Gabriel replied running a hand through his hair when he realised what she was thinking. Damn this wasn't going the way he had planned it. Now he was going to have to explain.

"Hu?" Rose asked the look of wonder on her face replaced with one of puzzlement as she looked down at the ring in the box then back up to Gabriel.

Gabriel watched her face change and could have kicked himself for his stupidity. Of course she had thought he was asking her to marry him. And god did he ever wish he could. But he couldn't, not right now, not with all the Eve stuff going on and the idea of him taking back his grace at the back of his mind. No if and when he asked Rose to marry him there would be no chance of him ever leaving her. He guessed that was probably why he had never given her the ring before. But now he had to explain.

"Yes it is a wedding ring, no I'm not asking you to marry me, yes I really do want to ask you to but I don't think now is quite the right time. Once this is all over, I would definitely like to revisit that question." He said in a hurry hoping she would understand.

At that Rose nodded. Of course Gabriel wasn't asking her to marry him. I mean really why would he? It wasn't like they had been together that long or anything. And she didn't need him to. I mean the guy fell for her, became human for her, what more could she ask for? With these thoughts she pushed down the disappointment that and risen in her mind and carefully settling the hand with the box in it on her knee she asked calmly, "Why are giving it to me?"

"This ring is special… it's the only one like it in the world, ever. And I would recognize it anywhere." Gabriel replied reaching out with his hands so they surrounded the one in which Rose held the box and tried to explain.

"Why?" Rose asked softly looking up into his eyes.

"Because I was the one who gave it to a man to give to his wife to bless there union in the eyes of the lord." Gabriel replied with complete honesty not looking away from her stare.

"Then why do you have?" She asked puzzled again.

"Because the woman gave it to her son to give to the woman he loved, but he never found her. On the night before he walked to his death, I visited him. He asked me to take it, saying I was more likely to find the woman whose finger it fit than he was." Gabriel replied pain flashing through him as he thought of his true friend and his death. Rose saw the flash of pain in his eyes when he mentioned the man's death. Who had this man been to him? How had this man been full stop?

"When was this?" She asked cautiously, the box looked really old, but the ring new. She was very confused by that fact. If the story was true then surely the ring would be old too?

"Couple of millennia ago, give or take a few years. But that's beside the point." Gabriel replied with a shrug making Roses eyes go wide and return to the shining ring. What the hell material could look that shiny after 2000 years?

"So what is the point?" She asked still not taking her eyes of the ring as she studied it. Trying to work out its composition. She did after all work with metals for a living, the material of this ring fascinated her.

"I know this ring. So if you get suck in 1861 and you're wearing this, all you have to do is pray to me and I'll come. This ring will be all the proof you need to show me to get my help." Gabriel replied gently taking the ring out of the box and holding it up to her. As soon as his fingers connected with it he felt the power radiating off of it. It almost made him shove it back in the box and take it away from her. But he wouldn't do that. This could be her only hope of getting back to him. And he wouldn't, no couldn't, chance her not returning.

"But surely if I did this, do this? You would remember, know? You know what I mean." Rose said with a frown at the complexities of time travel, though she had yet to take her eyes off of the ring. There was something about it she couldn't quite define. But it was something.

"Time is fluid Rosie. Please just take it. Just in case. You know a backup plan. I can't lose you to the past, I wouldn't." Gabriel replied with complete sincerity holding the ring out to her.

Finally Rose's eyes left the ring and met his. Looking into them she saw only his love for her and it made her love him even more it that was possible. With a smile she spoke.

"Of course Gabriel, I'll wear it with pride."

With that Rose held out her hand to him and Gabriel carefully placed it onto her wedding finger. It was a perfect fit. He couldn't help himself, seeing that ring in the home he knew was its rightful place, he brought her hand up, and closing his eyes, he kissed the ring, letting the thoughts feelings and emotions wash over him at what he had just done. While Rose may not be aware of the meaning of this moment it was not lost on him. While he may not have said the words, and may never say the words to her, he had in his heart and mind just pledged his everlasting soul to their union.

"Just if you do use it? Don't say too much okay?" Gabriel finally said lowing her hand but not letting go of it.

"I'll try not to, but you can be rather persuasive when you wish to be." Rose replied with a twinkle in her eyes and a smile on her lips as she tried to diffuse whatever tension had had him in its grip when he placed the ring on her finger. She didn't know what was going on, she didn't know why he wouldn't ask her to marry him now, though she suspected it was because he had decided that if anyone was going to die this time it would be him. Not that she was going to let that come to pass, but knowing Gabriel that was his thought process. But that didn't matter. Because while he may not have said the words, asked the question, when he put that ring on her finger she had heard them as clear as day in her mind and answered in the affirmative. It was then she realised what was so special about this ring. The reason it still shone after 2000 years. There was only one metal in the universe that she knew of that it could be. This was made from his archangel blade.

"Well what can I say? I'm an archangel." Gabriel replied, not realising the thoughts running through the woman he loved's mind. He was happy. She was wearing his ring. The one that he had made from a shaving of his own blade and fashioned to fit another woman. Though if he remembered right, it was always a little lose on her. Maybe subconsciously he had always made it to fit Rose's hand.

With that sentence both Gabriel and Rose smiled at each other. They had no more need for words. Instead Gabriel leaned in and kissed her as if she was the only thing keeping him alive. Which to be honest, he knew was in fact the truth of the situation.


	17. Chapter 16

**Hello all. I would like to thank ****rainystv for the wonderful review. I would also like to thank you lovely people who have followed and favoured this story since my last update. You are all awesome.**

**So here we go, next chapter, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

The next morning Dean said he needed to pop out to get something before the four of them went on their little trip. Rose, who knew full well what he was going to do, insisted on going with him. She was not letting him dress her in some crazy outfit just because they were going to the Wild West. And so they both disappeared in the impala for about an hour, leaving Gabriel and Castiel playing with Isobel and Sam and Melissa smiling at each other while they did some extra research and waited for the ingredients that Crowley needed to make the spell work.

Once Dean and Rose returned the ingredients had arrived and Dean insisted they all change into their new clothes. Which could have been a lot worse than they really were as Rose had a hand in helping choose them. Though she couldn't stop Dean choosing the sarape. Sam took one look at the bag and flatly refused to wear any of it but the hat and as such stuck to his jeans and jacket. Melissa made the token gesture of changing her shirt, but kept her jeans. And Rose, who flatly refused to wear a dress, Especially considering they would be arriving at Samuel Colts cabin and not in town, so her and Dean would have to make their way there, was wearing a long brown coat and dark brown trousers, with a wide rimed hat. She hoped she would be able to pass for a man while there.

When Gabriel saw them all he smirked trying really hard not to laugh at the outfits. Rose just rolled her eyes at him and went over to give him a kiss goodbye.

"Shut it you." She whispered against his lips as she put her hands on his face to pull it down to hers. It was strange, as soon as the ring, which she was trying to hide from the others, connected with Gabriel skin it seemed to warm somehow. As if it was reacting to him, knew him somehow, but that was crazy. I mean yes if he was still an angel she could understand it. Angel blades were made by god for each angel. But he was human now and therefore the metal on her finger should have no response. But it was just another one of the many unanswerable question about Gabriel right now. She would get to the bottom of this, eventually. But right now they had a phoenix to kill. With that she turned to see how they were all doing only to find Dean and Castiel locked in each other's embrace as they said goodbye.

Rolling her eyes at her elder brother she turned to Crowley.

"We all set?" She asked looking at the ingredients in the bowl.

"Yes. I've given Moose at set to get you back and shown him how to mix them. The only thing I need now is the blood of the Colt line." Crowley answered holding out his hand and a knife smiling a slightly creepy smile at Melissa making her eyebrows rise. In that smile she could see the demon he had once been.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road." Dean said tearing himself away from Cas and coming to stand with his siblings clapping them both on the back. With that both Sam and Rose reached out to Melissa as she held her hand out to Crowley. And with a slice of her palm and a few words of some language none of them really knew, the Winchesters and Melissa where no longer standing in Bobby's front room. No, they were how standing outside a wooden cabin in what seemed very much like the middle of nowhere.

"Where the hell are we?" Dean asked. He had thought they were going to sunrise Wyoming, but there was nothing but this cabin.

"At Samuel Colts place." Rose replied then turned to Sam and Melissa, as Dean had said, time to get this show on the road.

"Right you to go in there and convince him to give you the gun. Dean and I'll go into town and locate the Phoenix. Bring it to us once you get It." she ordered.

Sam opened his mouth to question her but before he could Melissa spoke. "Agreed. Good luck." with an equally authoritative voice which just made Sam confused. What the hell was going on? Why was it that Melissa and Rose seemed to know exactly what was happening? Well okay he knew why Rose did, but Melissa?

"How we going to get into town?" Dean asked looking round. He had no idea where town was.

Smiling Rose lead him round the side of the cabin to find two horses.

"Seriously?" he squeaked. Yeah he loved westerns but he had never actually been on a horse.

"Don't worry Dean, you'll be fine." Rose answered as she threw herself up into the saddle thankful that her mum seemed to think that learning to ride was a useful life skill for a little girl.

"Course I will." Dean replied trying to imitate her and pulled himself up in the saddle. With that and a smile Rose set of towards town with Dean following her, not clinging to the horse as Rose rode them hard at all.

* * *

Gabriel stood there and watched the four of them disappear. There was nothing he could do now to help them. He would have to trust in the spell, or his past self, he was still undecided about that one. But either way it was out of his hands at this current time. Now he needed to turn his mind to what was going to happen once they returned with the ash. Because he wouldn't even contemplate the idea they would fail. So now he had a choice to make. It was a choice he needed to make before Rose returned. He knew if he didn't while she was gone then when she returned he never would. He knew that if she was with him he would never be able to leave her. So he had to make his choice within the next 24 hours.

Heaven or Purgatory. Where did he want to spend his eternity?

With that question going round and round in his head he sat down with Isobel to go over the angelic powers he had been teaching her, she was improving at an amazing rate. But then she was at the perfect age to learn and develop her skills, both human and angel. And while he taught her how to share her grace, the first step in healing someone, through a series of thoughts he made sure she could see in his mind and actions to explain them he thought over his choice.

Heaven or Purgatory.

* * *

Castiel sat back and watched Gabriel teaching his daughter without a word being said and he knew that if Gabriel had to choose between Purgatory and Heaven then there really wasn't any choice. Gabriel was such a natural angel, which may have seemed a strange thing for him to think. He was after all a former angel too. But now he was human and he accepted that and all the things that came with it. But there, stilling on the floor with his daughter, was his brother teaching her as he once would have done the fledglings in heaven. He had no grace of his own and yet he was showing her how to use hers. Gabriel was right when he said he was an archangel still, in his heart his brother had never given up his previous being like he, Castiel had. Maybe that had been Gabriel's problem with becoming human. He could never forget what he once was. Castiel just hoped that Gabriel didn't have to choose to return to Heaven just to save them all. He wanted his brother to only choose to return if it was truly what he wished and for no other reason. Castiel truly hoped that there father would be able to show them another way. He just wanted his family to be happy. They had made so many sacrifices in the name of humanity and free will. Why could they not just have peace? Why could they not just enjoy being together without the fate of the world resting on their weary shoulders?


	18. Chapter 17

**Hello people. I would like to thank rainystv for the wonderful review. So here we go. The next chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural nor any of the lines I have taken from the show.**

* * *

Dean and Rose arrived in the town of Sunrise Wyoming just in time to witness a hanging.

"Good times. So where do we find the phoenix?" Dean asked turning to Rose as the judge and sheriff left the hangman's platform.

"That's him." Rose replied making Dean turn back with a frown.

"What the sheriff?" he asked incredulously. Surely not.

"No you numpty, the hanged man, Elias Finch." Rose replied with a shake of her head at her older brother.

"Wait what? But he's dead." Dean said confused.

Rose just looked at him with an expression that just said 'Really?'.

"I'm guessing he's not dead." Dean signed.

"Yeah not so much." Rose replied trying to work out how to do this. She knew that Elias was going to go after the judge next, but she also knew they couldn't kill him without the Colt. And she really didn't want to tip their hand to him. So she needed this to play out the way it had. There was also the fact that if she changed too much of this past, too much of the future could be affected. Damn this time travel thing was way harder than David Tennant made it look. At that thought she smirked. Got to love Doctor Who. But anyway, back to the here and now she realised that Dean had asked her a question.

"So what now?" Dean asked his sister when she said no more. In fact she had a slightly faraway look in her eyes, he was just about to wave his hand in front of her face when she spoke.

"Let's go talk to the judge and the sheriff. Pretend we're looking for Colt." She replied turning towards the jail with Dean following her.

Dean was just about to take a step when stranger spoke to him. "Nice blanket." He said. Making Dean glare and look at Rose who just looked back until he finally pulled of the sarape. Rose just smirked, but kept her mouth closed on the 'I told you so' that was on the tip of her tongue. She didn't want to piss Dean off right now. She had too much to think about.

* * *

Meanwhile back at Samuel Colt's cabin Sam and Melissa had tried knocking but got no response and as such entered the cabin to find Samuel Colt sitting behind his desk with a glass of whiskey in front of him.

"What do you want?" Samuel asked the pair.

Sam opened his mouth to respond but was beaten by Melissa.

"My name is Melissa and I'm your descendent. We come from the future to kill a phoenix with your gun." She said sweetly to the man.

At that Samuel colt stared at them before flinging water over the both of them making Sam jump. Though Melissa just smiled and wiped it off her face. She knew it was coming after all.

"Hey, not a demon." Sam shouted angrily making Melissa chuckle at him before turning back to Samuel.

"It's the truth and we need that gun." She said still smiling.

"Do phoenixes even exist?" Samuel asked sitting back down and reaching for his glass.

"Oh yes." Melissa replied nodding at him. This was rather surreal to her. This conversation was one she had heard about taking place through the stories of her family, and now here she was having it. Lucky the more she talked the more she remembered of the family story about time travelling relatives and hunters, of course she now knew she was the time travelling relative but still. Remembering the story was definitely a good start.

"Why'd ya need to come back here to kill it?" Samuel asked them cautiously. This girl was far to upbeat for his liking.

"Because it's the last of its kind and the ash is the only thing that will defeat Eve, the mother of all monsters who has risen in our time." Melissa replied remembering to make sure she got the all the facts correct. She would need them in the future/ her past? It was rather confusing but fun all the same. It wasn't every day you time travelled after all.

"And exactly when would that be?" Samuel asked. He wanted more details.

"Sorry can't tell you that." Melissa smiled in return. She couldn't know it was her job to go back in time until the Winchesters showed up or she might change things.

"Why not?" Samuel asked grumbly, he wanted to know damn it.

"Reasons." Melissa said with an unconcerned shrug. She knew they would get what they needed eventually.

"Descriptive." Samuel replied sarcastically taking another drink from his glass and filling it back up.

"I try." Melissa just smirked back.

Throughout this quick fire discussion Sam just stood there and watched. He was really missing something here. And he really wanted to know what.

"Well I ain't giving you nothing girlie until you talk." Samuel grumbled again.

"I can wait." And with that Melissa sat down in the spare chair and smiled at Samuel Colt as he glared at her across his desk.

* * *

That night after Gabriel had put Isobel down he grabbed a beer and went out into the yard to find a place where he could think in peace. Not that that peace lasted for long.

"What is wrong Gabriel?" he heard from behind him as Castiel came out to join him.

"It's nothing Cassie. Just missing Rose I guess." He replied putting a smile on to his face to hide his thoughts.

"Gabriel please. Talk to me." Castiel asked softly. He wanted his brother to know he was here for him and he could tell him anything. Not that he truly believed that Gabriel would. And it wasn't like he could tell him that he followed him, and heard his prayer to their father.

"Castiel you're my brother and I love you, but this is something I need to figure out myself." Gabriel replied turning to look into Castiel eyes and giving him as truthful an answer as he felt he could.

"Very well. Just tell me when you have?" Castiel asked as he turned to return to the house.

"Sure Cassie, will do."

At that Castiel nodded, though deep inside him he was sure that Gabriel was lying. There was no way he would tell him anything until it was too late. With that realisation he made a vow that he would keep an eye on his brother. He had a feeling something was going to happen.

Gabriel watched his brother return to house and whispered sorry for his lie. But he soon turned his mind back to what it was he had come out here to decide. Or more accurately realise. For he had spent the day with Isobel and he knew that if he could no longer stay with his new family, as seemed to be the case, the only option was to return to his old one. He just hoped his father understood his reasons.

Tomorrow, he would go and speak to god tomorrow. With that he turned and returned to the house to enjoy his last night as a member of the extended Winchester clan.


	19. Chapter 18

**Hello all. Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Night fell over 1861 and still Sam and Melissa hadn't made any progress in getting Samuel to give them the Colt. Not that Melissa seemed overly worried about this. Sam on the other hand just wanted to get to town to help Dean and Rose, he didn't like his siblings being up against a phoenix on their own. He wanted to be there to have their back. But no matter what Melissa and Sam said Samuel still said no.

Finally Samuel Colt stumbled to his bed leaving Melissa and Sam in the main room. At least now he could get answers from her.

"What's going on Melissa?" He asked.

"My family have this story which has been passed down through the generations from Samuel about one of his decedents coming back in time to get the ash of a phoenix to kill Eve. Now I'm living it." Melissa replied thinking it was about time she told Sam the truth.

"so you know what's going to happen?" He asked, this was crazy, first there was Rose with her TV show knowledge and now there's Melissa with her family story. Were he and Dean the only ones who didn't know what was going on?

"Only here. I know we'll get the gun. The rest? I'm guessing that's Rose's department." Melissa responded with a smile to him. Though in truth she knew slightly more but she couldn't tell Sam that. At least not yet.

"Okay. We'll I hope your right." Sam replied with a sigh. They needed that gun to kill the phoenix.

"I'm always right Sam." Melissa said with a smirk which caused him to chuckle and smile at her. God she really was beautiful.

And unbeknown to both of them Samuel Colt moved away from his door after hearing the conversation. Looked like he would have to give them what they wanted. But he would do it tomorrow, it's not like they could ride into town tonight anyway. With that thought he turned and fell onto his bed to sleep of all the whiskey he had consumed that day.

* * *

Gabriel woke early the next morning and just lay there a while blinking up at the ceiling. He knew he needed to get up and go to the church to put his plan into action but he really didn't want to. He didn't want to have to give up Rose and Isobel and Cas. They were his family. Hell Even Crowley was family. But he was ultimately doing this for them. He had to stop Eve. With that thought he pulled himself out of his and Roses bed and got dressed. Not once turning to look at the letter he had spent most of the night writing which he had propped up on the bedside table and addressed to Rose. That would explain everything to her and he couldn't think about that right now. Once done he made his way to Issy's room to take one more look at his niece who had become so much more to him. Damn it she felt like she was his daughter too. Looking down at her sleeping form he gently stroked her hair then leaned down and gave her a kiss goodbye. Why did this have to be so hard? He could feel the tears in the corners of his eyes and he refused to cry over the child, so with that he turned from the room, blinking them back as he went downstairs to find Bobby to keep an eye on the girl.

* * *

Castiel heard his brother awaken, he had waited all night for the sound having barely got any sleep himself not wanting to miss Gabriel leaving this morning if he did so. He watched through the crack in his door as Gabriel went into Isobel's room and he watched him come out, blinking back the tears in his eyes. Oh this so wasn't good. It seemed to Castiel as if Gabriel was saying goodbye. He really hoped he was wrong on that one. Surely Gabriel wouldn't leave while Rose was away would he?

* * *

Gabriel arrived at the church and refused to give himself a moment to doubt his decision. He climbed out of his car and made his way inside going straight to the altar, but this time he didn't kneel down. He was not here to pray to his father for guidance, no this time he was here as an equal.

* * *

Castiel watched Gabriel enter the church and quickly got out of his car to follow him, once inside he once again positioned himself behind one of the columns so he could hear what was being said. And he heard Gabriel speak, in a voice that he had not heard for what seemed like a long time. The voice was that of the archangel Gabriel, not the human Gabriel, not the trickster Gabriel, but his brother as he had been long ago in heaven.

"Dad can you come down here for a minute. I've made my decision." Gabriel said firmly, allowing no room for any doubt as he ran his hand across the top of the altar.

"Decision about what Gabriel?" Came the voice behind him. Turning he found the priest he had spoken to before sitting in the front pew of the church, but this time he could see him of who he really was. He was his father.

"I want to take my grace back." He said firmly, not commenting on the fact that his dad had been keeping an eye on him all this time. He guessed it should have surprised him, but it really didn't.

Castiel heard Gabriel's words and through he had thought this would be the outcome of today it did not stop the gasp of anguish that escaped his throat at the thought of his brother leaving him, them.

God heard the gasp from his younger son and tilted his head to the side before he spoke to the elder.

"It seems you haven't discussed this decision with your family. Please join us Castiel." God commanded. He realised he might need Castiel to help him here. He wanted his children to be happy after all and Gabriel was not happy with this decision of his, no matter what he said about it. No this decision was one made of duty and need to protect, not love and happiness.

When Castiel heard God's words he sheepishly came out from around the pillar. There was no point pretending he wasn't there. God knew, and Gabriel? Well looking at his elder brother Castiel saw a look of resigned exasperation on his face, but his eyes were a turmoil of pain and loss.

"What ya doing here Cassie?" Gabriel asked with an exasperated sigh. He should have known that he couldn't do this without his brother's knowledge, but Castiel would not change his mind. It was the only thing they could do to stop Eve and keep everyone alive. He had no choice.

"I wanted to know what you had decided." Castiel replied evenly. There was no point lying to his brother now. He might as well tell him the whole truth.

"What do you mean Castiel?" Gabriel asked narrowing his eyes at him. Just what did he know of Gabriel's choices?

"I followed you the other day and heard you." Castiel responded not taking his eyes from his brother. He would not be ashamed of what he had done. Had he not then he wouldn't be here right now. And he needed to be here, he needed to persuade there father to help them so Gabriel could stay with their family. Where he should be, where he wanted to be, where he belonged.

At that Gabriel glared even more, but before he could respond further God spoke.

"It is understandable if you don't talk to those who love you, they have to find out another way. But that is beside the point. Before I agree to your request I want you to tell me why." God said mildly looking back to the eldest of his two sons.

"Why what?" Gabriel asked temporally confused by the sudden change of conversation, even if his dad was changing it back to the reason they were all there.

"Why it is you want your grace back." God explained with a smile on his lips.

"So I can defeat Eve." Gabriel replied, he couldn't lie to his father about his reasons however much he may want to to get him to agree.

At that God nodded in thought before turning back to Gabriel and staring at him in a way that only God can before giving his reply in a firm voice which brooked no arguments. "No."

Not that that would stop Gabriel from arguing.

"No? What do you mean no?" Gabriel demanded running a hand through his hair. His father couldn't do this. He couldn't let any of his family die while he had a chance to save them. He couldn't.

"If you take your grace back Gabriel you will return immediately to heaven and will not interfere with earth. Those are the rules I have laid out for your brothers and sisters. I will not change them for you." God stated and Gabriel heard in that voice that any argument he could come up with would be futile and probably just piss his father off. It was then he knew that he had lost.

"So what you're saying is I don't have a choice. I'm going to die and go to purgatory." Gabriel whispered in an exhausted voice, all that time thinking he had an out. But there was no changing this. He was going to die and become a monster. He just hoped that Dean and Sam put him down before he did any harm to anyone. His thoughts were interrupted by softly spoken words falling from his father lips. The words where designed to penetrate his brain and make him listen. So he did. Though he did not like what he heard.

"There is one angel I cannot command Gabriel. For I did not create her. She was born with free will as all humans are." God said gently to Gabriel, hoping to make him realise the solution to their problem. He did not want Gabriel to die, nor did he want him to become a monster. He wanted him to be happy and there was a way for that to happen, if only his son would see it.

Gabriel looked at his father as he worked out what he was saying, when he realised what God meant he couldn't believe what he was suggesting.

"She doesn't have the power to heal a human dad." He exclaimed.

"True. But then again you're not exactly human are you Gabriel?" was Gods reply and with that and a small smile on his lips he disappeared. Leaving Gabriel staring at the place he'd been in shock and Castiel looking on in confusion.


	20. Chapter 19

**Hello again. Here's the next one.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural nor any of the lines I have taken from the show.**

* * *

_Then…_

_" God said gently to Gabriel, hoping to make him realise the solution to their problem. He did not want Gabriel to die, nor did he want him to become a monster. He wanted him to be happy and there was a way for that to happen, if only his son would see it._

_Gabriel looked at his father as he worked out what he was saying, when he realised what God meant he couldn't believe what he was suggesting._

_"She doesn't have the power to heal a human dad." He exclaimed._

_"True. But then again you're not exactly human are you Gabriel?" was Gods reply and with that and a small smile on his lips he disappeared. Leaving Gabriel staring at the place he'd been in shock and Castiel looking on in confusion._

_Now…_

* * *

"What did he mean?" Castiel asked into the quiet turning his stare from the empty place their father had just vacated and onto his elder brother.

"About what?" Gabriel asked in lieu of a reply. He was still trying to get his head around what his father had just suggested, and he wasn't sure he was ready to share it with Castiel.

"About you not being human Gabriel. You are as human as I am." Castiel said he was confused, they had both been angels and God had taken both there graces, so they were both human. Why was there father now saying that Gabriel was not?

"No Cassie I'm not." Gabriel replied with a humourless laugh. Well it seemed he was going to have to share this little secret with his brother. Though if there was anyone who could understand it would be Castiel.

"Please explain." Castiel asked, he didn't beg, he just asked. He needed answers and Gabriel was going to give them to him this time.

"You have a soul Castiel, you have always had one and your grace was just a source of power to you. As it is to all angels. As such when dad turned you are human he just had to take out the grace." Gabriel began trying to find the right words to tell Castiel what he wanted to know.

"I know this Gabriel, but I do not understand what this has to do with you not being human." Castiel stated when his brother didn't continue.

"I'm an archangel Cassie." Gabriel said in exasperation as if that explained everything which it didn't, not to Castiel.

"Were." Castiel stated, he had gone along with Gabriel proclaiming himself still an archangel for long enough, he needed to accept that he wasn't one any longer.

At that Gabriel sat down in the pew there father had vacated and looking not at his brother but at the cross behind the altar in front of him as he explained, as much as he could at any rate.

"No am. I'm not like you, I don't have a soul. Hell when dad created us the idea of a soul hadn't even crossed his mind. I'm pure grace, always have been. When dad turned me human he couldn't remove all my grace because if he did I would cease to exist so he removed the bit which gave me my powers and left that which he fashioned into my soul."

At that Castiel was silent for a while, sitting down next to his brother as he processed what he had just told him. Finally he spoke.

"You mean soul is pure grace like Isobel's?" He asked hoping to clarify what Gabriel had just told him.

"Yes, except dad made it so I couldn't tap into it like she does." Gabriel replied still not looking at Castiel.

"So how would this help us?" Castiel asked turning to his brother and now looking at him in a different light. He saw that when Gabriel said he was an archangel he spoke the truth. No matter what his power, Gabriel would always be an archangel.

"Well in theory if Issy were to use her grace on me it should unlock the channel to my own grace and as such I should be able to heal myself." Gabriel replied cagily. There was so much more to the process than that, but he would not share that with his brother. He wouldn't share that with anyone.

"So that is what our father meant." Castiel said finally understanding all that Gabriel and God had spoken about.

"Yeah." Gabriel replied still not looking at Castiel. He knew if he did he would tell him all. And he wouldn't, no couldn't do that.

"So why did you not think of this before?" Castiel asked, it was the one question that Gabriel really didn't want to answer.

"Cos it's just theory Cassie and if I'm wrong I die." Gabriel replied, it wasn't a lie exactly. It was the truth, he just didn't tell Castiel why it wouldn't work. Why he couldn't make it work.

"If our father believes it will work I have faith that it will." Castiel replied with such faith that Gabriel had to turn to him with a smile. After everything that happened Castiel still had faith in their father. Though of course Gabriel had changed the things that would have made him lose that faith, but it was good, it felt right to Gabriel that Castiel had so much faith. He just hoped he didn't lose it when Gabriel died. Not like he had.

With that thought Gabriel turned back to looking at Jesus on the cross above the altar, staring at the stylized representation of the man he once knew and he muttered the words he had spoken once before in the sight of such faith in his father, "That makes one of us." Because he had not told Castiel the whole of the process. And he really wasn't sure if he could mentally manage his part of the plan. To even be within a chance of connecting to his grace he had to be completely in tune with who he was and he still did not know what his purpose in this world truly was.

* * *

Morning broke in Sunrise Wyoming and Dean and Rose went to meet up with the posse to go catch Elias Finch, Dean having got some proper clothes now. They went to the saloon and there they found the owner who they had spoken to the previous day, Elkins.

"New hat." He said to Dean with a nod of approval.

"I look good. Where's the posse? We must be early." Dean said making Rose smile sadly as she knew exactly what was happening, but she couldn't change it.

"Or you're the only greenhorns dumb enough to go chasing after a ghost." Elkins replied with a shake of his head. These men where crazy.

"What are you talking about? Sheriff's tough as nails. He'll be here." Dean replied with complete belief in his words.

Suddenly there was a shout from outside. "Oh God! The sheriff's dead!"

"Or not." Dean corrected as he and Rose followed Elkins out of the saloon to find a pile of ash and bones which had a sheriff bag on top.

"Great. Who's the sheriff now?" Dean asked Elkins, they needed to get this monster that kept burning everyone up.

At that Elkins bent down and pulled the badge from the pile and after wiping in off on his apron he pinned it to Dean's chest.

"What- What?" Dean asked as he stared down at the badge now resting on his chest.

"Now… Congratulations, sheriff." Elkins replied before turning and walking away leaving Dean and Rose just standing there.

"I'm sheriff?" Dean asked her. He couldn't quite believe it, but damn it was good. It was like his all-time best fantasy come true. He was sheriff in the Wild West.

"Yes Dean. Come on lets go work out how to catch the phoenix." Rose replied with a roll of her eyes at the child like excitement in his eyes as she pulled him round and went towards the jail. She knew what would happen next, but she would let Dean play it out himself. He looked so pleased with becoming sheriff, it was rather sweet really.


	21. Chapter 20

**And here's another for you lovely people.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural nor any lines I have taken from the show.**

* * *

Sam and Melissa woke up from sleeping on the floor of Samuel's cabin feeling stiff only to find him standing over the two of them with a gun in hand. At that Sam woke up a lot quicker and moved so he was in front of Melissa which caused Samuel to just roll his eyes at the giant.

"I thought you wanted this." He said gruffly holding the gun out to Sam. it was then he realised that the gun was in fact the Colt. With a nod he reached out and took it.

"Yeah umm, thanks. What changed your mind?" He asked once he had the gun in hand. He was rather curious, the guy had been rather adamant yesterday about not giving it to them.

"I slept on it." Samuel replied not looking at him but at Melissa, he then stepped back so that they could get up.

"Thank you." Melissa said smiling at him. She knew he would change his mind.

"Right. Now get out. I've couple of horses out back you can use." He responded with a wave of his hand towards the door which made Sam look uncomfortable and Melissa to smirk behind him.

"Umm, you did. My brother and sister used them to get to town yesterday." Sam replied with an apologetic look on his face.

"So how you planning to get to town then? It's a 20 mile walk." Samuel replied sitting down behind his desk and pulling the whiskey to him. He'd done his bit, they could work out the rest themselves.

At that Sam turned to Melissa hoping she had the answer to that. With a smile she reached into his pocket and removed the ingredients that Crowley had given them to get home.

"What you doing? We need those to get back." Sam said his eyes going wide.

"You have a choice Sam, you can walk to town and maybe be too late to save your brother and sister or we can use some of these ingredients to do a spell which can transport us there in time to save there sorry asses and then worry about getting home once we have the ash." Melissa said turning to him, though she knew what his decision would be. She had no idea if Rose and Dean really were in danger, or how they would get home again, she just knew these where the lines she was supposed to say and this was the spell she was supposed to perform.

"Okay fine. But when Dean bitches about this you're dealing with him." Sam replied.

With that Melissa pulled out some of the ingredients, she didn't need them all as they weren't traveling through time, just space, and added them to a bowl saying which she was using as she did so. Then she grabbed Sam's hand and sliced it open, but before she added the blood to bowl she looked up at Samuel Colt staring at him, hoping he would remember this spell, hoping he would understand that he needed to remember it exactly. Looking at the girl Samuel got the message and nodded, with that she smiled at him, uttered some words she didn't understand and added the blood to the bowl. And suddenly Sam and Melissa were no longer in Samuel Colt's cabin but in a town. Looking round Sam and Melissa spotted Dean and Rose hiding down an alley.

"Sam." Dean whisper shouted at their approach. "You got it?" he asked frantic.

"Yeah here-" Sam replied holding up the Colt, confused about what is happening.

"Hello, beautiful." Dean said as he smiled at the Colt now in his hand.

"Dean what's going on?" Sam asked cautiously, he was wondering why they were hiding in an alley.

"You'll see." And with that Dean walked out into the main road of the town.

"Get out here Finch!" he shouted.

"What is he doing?!" Sam asked, ready to run out to his brother.

"He'll be fine Sam, trust me." Rose replied smiling at him. Sam turned to Melissa to ask her something when he noticed her staring at the clock across the road. Sam turned to look and saw that it now read almost 12 midday.

"What? It was just morning." Sam said completely confused to her at that Melissa just shrugged.

"The spell must take some time to work?" She really didn't have an answer for that. At least it seemed like they turned up in time.

With that they all turned back to watching the action that was happening in the road between Dean and Elias Finch.

"Come on let's do this." Dean said with confidence when Elias didn't come out.

"So this how you want to die. Fine." Elias replied coming to stand opposite Dean in the main street. They both stood there staring at each other, waiting for the clock to strike 12. As soon as it did they both pull their guns and shot. The three people in the alley held their breath as the guns fired but released them once they saw that Dean was fine and it was Elias that was hit. The phoenix died in a burst of flame, leaving behind him only a pile of ash.

"Yippee-ki-yay, mother…" Dean muttered as Sam shouted at him.

"Dean the ashes!"

At that Dean moved, collecting the ashes in the bottle they had brought for this purpose before returning to his siblings in the alley.

"So let's blow this Popsicle stand and go home." Dean said as he put the lid back on the bottle.

"Umm about that…" And with that Sam explained how they didn't actually have a way home right now.

As he did so Rose realised why Gabriel had given her the ring. He knew they were going to need his help to get back, and as such made sure she had what she needed to get it. So Before Dean could go into one at Sam's explanation Rose grabbed his arm and pulled.

"I know how to get us home. But I can't do it here. Come on." She said quietly but forcefully making the other three turn to her and follow as she dragged them back into the jail. Time to call in the cavalry.


	22. Chapter 21

**Hello all. I would like to thank those of you who have favoured and followed since my last update. Hop you are liking the story.**

**So here we are the next chapter.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Rose dragged them into the jail and checked around to make sure they would be undisturbed before turning and leaning against the sheriff's desk taking a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts before she did what she needed to do.

"Okay so what this plan to get home then Rosie?" Dean asked leaning against the opposite wall and crossing his arms. He really didn't see what they were doing here. They needed to be away from this town and they probably needed to go find replacement ingredients.

"Look Dean I have a plan and it's a good one, but I need you, all of you, to do me a teeny tiny favour." Rose said looking up at the three people with her with a serious look in her eyes. What she was going to do was delicate, she knew that, she also knew how much Dean could piss Gabriel off when he opened his mouth without thinking. It would be best if she alone did the talking.

"What?" Sam asked before Dean could get a word in. he knew his brother, Dean would probably argue just to argue.

"No matter what happens, no matter what is said, I need you to stay quiet. I do not want to hear a word cross any of your lips until we're back in our time capisce?" Rose said pointing at each and every one of them though staring at Dean a little longer which he should probably take offense at but he just couldn't let the last word that past his sisters lips go unnoticed.

"Capisce? Really?" He asked with the raise of his eye brows.

"What? Your allowed yippee-ki-yay and I'm not allowed capisce?" Rose asked crossing her arms while Sam just rolled his eyes at the pair of them and Melissa looked on puzzled. What were they arguing about now? Weren't they supposed to be getting them home?

"Fine. We'll be silent once you tell us your plan." Dean said with a roll of his eyes. This really wasn't the time.

At that Rose smiled a wicked smile which instantly put both Sam and Dean on high alert. Just what the hell was there sister about to do?

"My plan? My plans this." She said before she closed her eyes and put her hands together in the unmistakeable position of prayer. Oh crap.

"Dear Gabriel who I know full well is somewhere on earth pretending to be Loki hear my prayer. I help your help, please." With that Rose opened her eyes and lowered her hands.

Dean was just about to speak, tell his sister that that really wasn't likely that that would work, what with Gabriel not knowing her yet, when he heard the distinct sound of wings and there in front of his sister appeared the archangel. But it wasn't the one they all knew and tolerated now, no this was the archangel who didn't give a shit about any of them. The one who killed him hundreds of times to teach Sammy a lesson. This was not someone to be messing with.

"Hello Gabriel." Rose said amiably looking up at the angel she loved. It hurt not to see that love returned in his eyes. No the eyes looking at her now where the same as the ones that had sat on her stairs after her mother's death and told her he was there to protect her child.

"So who might you be little one?" Gabriel asked not stepping away from her.

"The names Rose, pleasure to meet you." Rose replied staying with an amiable tone.

"Oh no, I believe we have already met." Gabriel said with steel in his voice and a look which clearly said don't mess with me.

"We have but not yet." Rose responded refusing to be intimidated by him.

At that Gabriel looked at her with more concentration before he asked "When?"

"You know I can't say." Rose said certainty ringing through her voice.

At that Gabriel nodded and turned to look at the others with her. He looked long and hard at both Sam and Dean but dismissed Melissa of no interest.

"So tell me why would I help you?" He asked not turning back to Rose.

"Because you promised me you would." Rose responded with determination in her voice. Though that was not an answer that Gabriel liked.

"Not good enough, try again." Gabriel demanded turning to her with narrowed eyes. At that look Rose took a deep breath before she answered with.

"Because you gave me this."

At that Rose brought up her hand to show Gabriel the ring on her finger. It was also the first time either Dean or Sam had seen it there and Dean was just about to open his mouth to demand an explanation when Sam elbowed him. They could demand answers when they got home. Right now they needed a way to get there. And for that they needed to leave this to Rose.

Gabriel looked at the ring on her finger but didn't move to touch it or look any closer. He had no need, he knew exactly what it was. It was the reason he answered her prayer after all. That damn ring had been calling to him from her finger from the moment she arrived in this town, and when she asked for help he could no longer deny it.

"And tell me Rose, why would I do anything that stupid?" He asked the human woman in front of him. He wouldn't, couldn't believe she was who she was claiming to be. She was not his true love. No his true love was not a human, especially not one who hung around with the righteous man and the boy king.

At those words Rose narrowed her eyes. This wasn't her Gabriel. He didn't know what they had been through, but damn it they still hurt to hear that come out of his mouth. Well it seemed she would just have to find a way to make him believe that he loved her. With that thought in mind she closed the distance between them, and putting her hands on his face pulled the archangel down into a passionate kiss.

* * *

Gabriel realised what she was doing a second too late to stop the ring from connecting with his vessels skin. As soon as the connection was made he knew there was nothing in heaven, hell or on earth that would stop him from kissing this woman back with everything he had. He may have no idea who she was, he may have never laid eyes on her before this minute but he knew, with as deep certainty that ran through his grace shaking him to his toes that he loved her. More than anything else in this world. Or was it she was his world? At that Gabriel stopped thinking, just wrapped his arms and grace around her and pulled her close against him.

Such was the force of the feelings coursing through him thunder crashed outside and lightening flicked across the sky. And on the wall behind him his wings were reflected, stretched out and reaching for the sky before curling down and around the woman in his arms.

* * *

"What the hell?" Dean whisper exclaimed as they watched what was happening in front of them.

"Yeah, but I don't think now would be a good time to ask do you?" Sam replied also in a whisper as he watched the shadow of Gabriel's wings wrap around their sister.

* * *

Rose finally pulled back from the archangel in front of her with awe and wonder in her eyes. She certainly hadn't expected that reaction.

At that thoughts going through her head Gabriel chuckled. She really had no idea of the power she held in her tiny hands, did she? But that was definitely for the best. With that he spoke.

"What do you need help with Rose?" he asked gently, still not letting go of her.

"We need to get home." Rose answered instantly even if her mind was still clouded with confusion after all that she had just experienced. Because as she had realised some time ago (about the time she used Gabriel's blade to kill the hell hound) the metal for angel blades held a power that she had thought was their own, but now she realised was connected to the angels grace, it was like there blades were laced with it. And as such with the ring on her finger she felt the feelings coursing through the archangel as she kissed him like never before. She felt his power, his immense grace coursing through them both. And for the first time she truly realised just what it was that Gabriel had given up for her. A simple human. Because her Gabriel, when they had first kissed had hidden all that from her. He had kept himself in check so as not to frighten her. But this Gabriel had no reason to do any such thing, and as such she felt it all.

"And when is that?" Gabriel asked. He may not want to let her go but he knew he must. He had to get her back to her own time and then he needed to forget her. This was something he should most definitely not know in advance. That a simple human could create those feelings in him? That was worrying. And he had no idea what he would be whiling to do for her. tTat more than anything scared the living shit out of him.

"2011." Rose answered without hesitation, it was like he was extracting the answers from her without her even having to think to respond, and maybe he was. What did she know of his power really?

With a flutter of wings Dean, Sam and Melissa suddenly realised they were back in Bobby's living room and in front of them Rose was still in the arms of the archangel from 1861, while the 2011 Gabriel rose from his seat and put his hands in his pockets and just watched.

"Done." 1861 Gabriel said smiling at Rose before stepping back and taking a look around the room he had delivered the four humans to. When he eyes locked with his own he stopped everything. Because the him in front of him was as human as an archangel could be. And the only person who could do that would be there father. But why and how he didn't know, it was at the point he realised he didn't want to know. So nodding to his future self he took himself back to 1861 and proceeded to collect together all the ingredients needed to erase the memory of Rose from his mind. At least for now at any rate.


	23. Chapter 22

**Hello again. Here is another chapter which I hope answers some of the questions I have posed.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural and all story lines and plots in the story are fiction and have no baring in history or religion.**

* * *

Rose stood there and watched the 1861 Gabriel disappear. With that she turned her stunned awed stare on her Gabriel who had come up to stand in front of her.

"Hello little one." He said to her gently but she couldn't respond, everything that had happened…it was too much.

"Are you okay?" Gabriel asked raising his hand to brush it against her cheek, getting worried by her continued silence.

At the feel of his skin on hers Rose tried to talk, but there was so much she wanted to know, to understand. Firstly how he could ever give up all of that for her? "I…you…why?"

"You might have to clarify a bit kiddo. Can't read you mind anymore remember?" Gabriel replied with an understanding smile on his face. While he couldn't read her mind he did know what she was thinking courtesy of 1861 him. But he wanted her to ask the questions she had rather than just answering them for her.

"Why would you give all that up?" Rose asked completely confused. She just couldn't understand why he would do that.

"I love you Rose. And I would do anything for you." Gabriel replied with a sad smile. He had hoped she would understand that. He had hoped she felt the same.

"You knew that was going to happen." Rose said, it wasn't a question.

"I didn't know, I thought it might." He tried to explain. After all it was kinda complicated.

"Explain." Rose demanded which made him smile, cos that right there, that was the Rose he fell in love with.

"I dreamt it." He replied plainly.

"Hu?" Rose asked now she was just really confused. He was there, he lived it. What did he mean by he dreamt it?

"Past me is right now creating a spell to erase you from his mind. But being the rather insightful archangel that I am I might have put in a safety net to make sure it happens." Gabriel replied with a shrug and smirk which in turn made Rose smile. There, with that sentence she saw a glimmer of the archangel she fell in love with. The man she loved who had changed so much with the appearance of Eve. She wasn't sure if it was seeing his old self or if something else had happened while she was gone, but her Gabriel was starting to come back to her. She had always known he was still in there but now she was starting to see him too.

"Yeah I still don't understand." She responded smiling up at him with relief. She had her Gabriel back. The tender moment was of course interrupted by her big mouth brother.

"Screw that. I want to know what the meaning is behind that damn ring Gabriel." Dean demanded crossing his arms after he had greeted Castiel with a brief kiss.

"Ring? What ring?" Castiel asked. Now he was just confused. To be honest he was very intrigued about how it was Rose had got Gabriel from 1861 to get them home.

"This one." Dean said as he grabbed his sister's hand and held the ring up for Cas' inspection. Upon seeing the ring all thoughts of past Gabriel went out of his mind and his eyes widened though he didn't move to touch it.

"Is that..?" Castiel asked his voice quiet and awe-filled.

"Yes." Gabriel replied even though everyone else in the room was looking puzzled. He knew what his brother was asking.

"But how?" Castiel asked turning his intense stare on Gabriel but his brother just shrugged and refused to comment.

"Okay can someone explain what is going on please?" Sam asked he was completely confused with everything here and he was fed up with people having half conversations in front of them without explaining themselves.

"Gabriel?" Castiel asked with steel in his voice.

"Castiel?" Gabriel just mimicked his tone making his brother narrow his eyes at him. Gabriel flatly refused to explain this to anyone. It was too painful to relive, even after all these centuries.

"That ring is a myth, a legend, lost for all time." Castiel said turning to Sam trying to explain.

"Yeah um, nope to all the above." Gabriel interjected. He would not have all that happened put aside as a myth thank you very much.

"Do you wish to explain Gabriel?" Castiel asked turning back to him with daggers in his eyes.

"Not really no." he replied turning and sitting back down in the chair he was in until the other him arrived. He took Rose with him and she settled herself in his lap leaning back against him as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Then be quiet. I will question you once everyone is on the same page." Castiel said to him. He then gestured for everyone to sit as Gabriel muttered sarcastically to Rose,

"Oh the joy. I can't wait."

"So what is this legend?" Sam asked once everyone was sitting comfortably. It seemed to Gabriel that story time had begun and however much he tried not to he couldn't help but listen to his brother's voice as he spoke of one of the most defining points in Gabriel's whole existence.

"It is said that when God decided that his son should be born of a human mother on earth he sent his messenger to inform the prospective parents. And when Joseph agreed to father the child that messenger presented him with a ring forged by God himself to place on the finger of his future wife. Which he did. Mary wore that ring everyday of her marriage until her son Jesus was old enough to find his own love. It was then she presented it to him to give to the woman he loved when he found her. He never did. Instead it was said that the night before his crucifixion his truest friend visited him and Jesus bequeathed the ring to him to give to his love when he found her, but none of the apostles had the ring after Jesus' death and as such it was believed that it was lost or never existed in the first place. But now it sits on Roses hand so I ask you Gabriel, how did you get hold of it?" Castiel asked turning to his brother as he finished recounting the story as he had heard it. Now it was Gabriel's turn to tell his part of this tale. Castiel had a horrible feeling that it wasn't good. It was after all just after the crucifixion of Christ that Gabriel left heaven to become a pagan god.

"Okay a couple of things. First dad didn't create the ring I did, from my blade. Though I did give it to Joseph to give to Mary. And as for how I got hold of it, you just said it Cassie." Gabriel replied staring at his brother hoping he would understand all that he wasn't saying.

Castiel thought for a moment. That Gabriel made the ring from his blade made sense to the former angel. It was a very Gabriel thing to do, to give a reward to those doing a service for god. But the rest? What had Castiel said that explained Gabriel having the ring now?

"What do you mean?" He asked in a less confrontational voice than he was using before. Now he just wanted answers and he knew he wouldn't get them if he fought Gabriel.

"He gave it to his truest friend." At that Castiel still looked at Gabriel puzzled making him roll his eyes. Did his brother think he was the only one to ever make friends with humans involved in god's plans? "I proclaimed his birth Castiel, did you really think I wouldn't stick around to see how he turned out?" He asked exasperated.

With that sentence Castiel finally understood just what Gabriel was saying. He couldn't believe his brother would do such a thing. "You let him die." He accused, but before he could say any more Gabriel responded.

"No." Gabriel practically shouted glaring at his brother, pain visible in his eyes for all to see as he continued. "That was not my choice Cassie, really not my choice. He didn't want to be saved."

And with that Castiel finally understood what it was that had driven his brother to leave heaven after their father had gone. He had taken his friend from him, and that was something Castiel could understand not being able to forgive.

"Yeah okay great. Love me some bible stories but I more interested in when it was you asked my sister to marry you without asking my permission." Dean interrupted the heartfelt touchy feely thing that was going on. He really didn't want to be involved in that and he thought by the look on Cas' face that what else they wanted to say would be better off done in private. After all what happened between brothers, stayed between brothers.

Of course this comment from Dean made everyone turn to him with disbelief in their eyes. Yeah okay he knew he was being crass but what did they expect?

"What?" he asked with wide eyes. No one needed to know he had said that to give the man he loved time to deal with his world being turned upside down. Though looking at Cas out of the corner of his eye he realised that at least one person in the room knew what he was doing, and he was thankful.

"We're not engaged Dean. He just gave it to me so I could get us home." Rose replied moving to take the ring off her finger but Gabriel put his hand over hers to stop her and just shook his head. He was not letting her take that ring off for as long as he lived, which yeah okay might not be that long, but still. It symbolised something to him, even if Rose didn't know it. And if he by some miracle he made it through this and out the other side he would most definitely be asking her to marry him out loud, though he would not be asking Dean for permission.

"Okay fine. The little Vixen and Archangel-boy aren't getting married, great. Now can we please get back to the business of saving the world? Did you get the ash Squirrel, Moose?" Crowley of all people interjected. He was fed up with all the gooey feelings in this room. That and he thought that the things that were playing out in front of them all should really be playing out in the privacy of the various bedrooms of this sprawl of a house. Plus he didn't like to be reminded he was all alone.

"Um yeah. It's here." Dean replied pulling the bottle out of his coat and putting down on Bobby's desk. "So what now?" he asked the room in general though it seemed everyone looked towards the chair that held both Rose and Gabriel.

"Now we find a monster willing to tell us Eve's location and we gank the bitch." Rose replied with a venom not normally heard from her. But as she had realised earlier, Eve's emergence had made her lose her Gabriel. And for that she would happily kill the cow.


	24. Chapter 23

**Hello all. I would like to thank maxfan28535 for the wonderful review. I would also like to thank those of you who have followed and favoured this story since my last update. You are all awesome.**

**So here we are the next chapter, I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

It had been decided that the best idea for finding Eve would be to once again ask Dr. Eleanor Visyak but as it was quite late by the time they had all argued it out, they would make the call tomorrow. And as Dean said, they also had to have the time to make the bullets with the ash. Gabriel made a mental note to make sure he was with Dean as he made the bullets. He needed to make sure he was the one who drank the phoenix ash not Dean. No this was between him and Eve and no one else.

And so everyone made their way to their respective bedrooms, those couples who had been parted could now have a private welcome back and the rest of the people could just get a decent night's sleep. Both Rose and Dean insisted on stopping off at Isobel's cot before heading off to their rooms just to watch her sleeping.

Once they were alone Rose turned to Gabriel sitting on their bed beside him, she still had so many questions but now wasn't the time to ask him about what he had lost, so instead she want with something she hoped he would answer.

"Why didn't you want me to take the ring off?" She asked.

Gabriel just sighed. He didn't know how to explain anything. Though thinking about it he was going to have to share his plan to take Isobel with them when they go fight Eve. Might as well do it now he supposed.

"Because I love you and want to marry you-" He started to say only for Rose to interrupt him.

"But you said-" she started only for Gabriel to put his finger over her lips silencing her.

"Don't interrupt Rosie. I said we would revisit that question when this was over but when I said that I really didn't think I would be here to do so. Well while you were away Castiel and I think we have found a way so that everyone will survive this fun little crusade against the mother of all monsters." Gabriel continued. With that he removed his finger and Rose took that as permission to speak, not that a finger across her lips would have stopped her if she really had wanted to.

"How?" She asked. She needed to know what kind of crazy ass plan Gabriel and Castiel had come up with this time.

"If I am the one Eve bites, the one who takes the ash then there is a chance that Isobel will be able to connect me to my soul and I can use that energy to heal myself." Gabriel explained turning so he was looking at the wall instead of at her. He couldn't give her the hope he would need her to have that he would survive if he looked her in the eyes, she knew him to well. She would see the defeated emotions as soon as they passed through his mind.

"What makes you different to the rest of us?" Rose asked confused now.

"I'm an archangel Rosie. You've felt that power now, do you really think that dad could just remove all of that? Because he can't. I'm as human as I'll ever be, but I'm not the same as you or even Castiel. I'm something different all together. The closest member of this family to me is Isobel." He replied turning to look at her at this. Pleading with her to understand.

Rose sat there and thought, she thought about all the times she had seen him and Isobel together, when he was teaching her her angel side, or just playing and she suddenly realised what it was she was looking at. They were two peas in a pod at times. Yes she was not surprised when Gabriel said that he was most similar to her daughter. It made everything make so much more sense.

"Well that certainly explains a lot." She finally muttered still not looking at him as she continued to run through different memories in her head. What hurt the most about this though wasn't that Gabriel was different, no he was always different to her, but that he had kept the information from her. He had lied to her and that hurt, so very, very much.

"Rose look at me. Please." Gabriel pleaded when she said nothing more and instead her face started frown and he felt pain radiate through her through the ring on her finger.

"You knew that this whole time didn't you." she said instead of looking at him and with a monotone voice.

"Yes." He replied. There wasn't much else he could say to that.

"But you didn't tell me." Rose contused in the monotone voice.

"It was hard to explain, still is." He tried to justify.

At that Rose nodded. She had to put her pain aside right now. Now they had to kill Eve. Then, then she could deal with her feelings at Gabriel not being able to trust her with the truth about himself.

"So the plan is that you wind Eve up enough that she decides to turn you into a Jefferson Starship and as such dies. You then get Isobel to do some angel-ly mojo so you can heal yourself. Right? That's the plan?" she asked turning to him with determination in her eyes.

"Yeah pretty much." Gabriel replied his heart breaking slightly as he saw the wall that she had put in place to hide her emotions from him.

"Will it work?" Rose asked evenly.

"I don't know, not for sure. It's all theory." Gabriel replied looking into her eyes, trying to see if that sentence would elicit any reaction from her but she closed her eyes before he could read them.

* * *

Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath against the emotions and feelings the swelled through her at the thought of losing him again. She couldn't do it. She couldn't. "Great, blooming bloody fantastic." She whispered.

"Rose this is our only chance. Please, I need to do this. And I really need you support." Gabriel begged grabbing her hands and running his fingers over the ring that was still sitting there making her open her eyes and watch his movements. And she knew, no matter how much pain him lying to her had caused she could not deny him what he asked for.

"You have it Gabriel, you'll always have it. I just, just don't want to lose you again." She replied looking up at him with tears glistening in her eyes.

"I know my love, I know. I don't want to lose you either." Gabriel replied pulling her to him and wrapping her in his arms as the tears started fall. Holding her he felt his own tears build and spill into her hair. And for the first time since the plan came to him he closed his eyes and tried to think of a way to make it work, any way to make it work. Trying to find his purpose, because he didn't want to leave her. Ever.

* * *

Down the corridor Castiel was also explaining the plan to Dean, or at least letting him know that Isobel needed to go with them.

"No, no way am I letting my daughter near the mother of all monsters." Dean said standing to pace the room once Cas had finished.

"Dean please, she is my daughter too and we need her, I need her." Castiel begged him. He couldn't lose his brother is there was the slightest chance that he could be saved.

"Why? What is it you know that I don't Cas?" Dean asked turning to him with confusion in his eyes. What was Cas hiding from him?

"She has angelic powers Dean, she can heal. We will need that if we are all to survive this fight." Castiel said. It was after all the truth.

"I don't like it." Dean replied sitting down next to the man he loved and staring at the wall opposite.

"Neither do I, but if the choice is leaving her here and someone dying or taking her with us and making sure she is completely protected to make sure we all survive I am willing to take that risk. Every member of this family would lay down there life for her. You know that as well as I do." Castiel tried to persuade.

"Yeah I know, and I don't want anyone to die Cas, but…" Dean trailed off. Cas was right they didn't have any other options, but Issy was so young…

"Please Dean. I can't lose the only family I have left." Castiel begged him, getting down on his knees so he was in Deans line of sight and grabbing his hand in his.

"What's Gabriel planning on doing?" Dean asked suddenly it all becoming clear in his mind.

"What he has too." Castiel replied.

"Is he taking back his grace?" Dean asked. He wanted to know what was going to happen but he knew that Castiel won't tell him if he knew, though in truth he probably had no more idea than Dean himself. No the only one who knew it all was Gabriel it seemed. It was always Gabriel who knew everything. Even as a human he was organising their lives as he did as an angel.

"No, our father told him if he did so then he would not be able to join the fight against Eve." Castiel replied sitting back on the bed next to Dean but not letting go of his hand.

"You spoke to god?" Dean asked humourlessly. Just what else had happened while they had been away?

"It seems Gabriel has a better relationship with our father than I ever had, but yes. It was him who suggested taking Isobel with us to make sure we all survived." Castiel explained. Hoping Dean would understand that they needed to take their daughter with them.

"So what you're saying is this is god's plan?" Dean said with disbelief. Since when do any of them obey god's plans?

"In way." Castiel answered.

"Well I can't really go against god's plan now can I, oh wait, no I've already done that." Dean replied sarcastically. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Dean." Castiel said sternly. He was starting to get annoyed at the man for his flippant behaviour. His father helped them as much as he could during the apocalypse after all and everyone survived. Dean really needed to let it go.

"I know okay I know. But I don't have to like it." Dean relied defeated. He knew Cas was right but…

"None of us like it Dean." Castiel said more gently.

"I know." And with that Dean put his head in his hands as he tried to think of any way that they could not bring his daughter on what could well turn out as a suicide mission. Castiel watched him and then wrapped him in his arms. There was nothing else he could say, all he could do now was be with the man he loved and pray to his father that the plan worked.


	25. Chapter 24

**Hello all. So here we are the next chapter I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

After breakfast the next morning Gabriel went in search of Dean while Bobby was on the phone to Dr. Visyak to get the location out of her. He found him in the panic room making bullets from the ash, a clean and dry glass by his side. Once all the bullets where made Dean poured whiskey into the glass and added the remaining ash which wasn't enough to make a bullet.

"Don't do it Dean-o." came a voice from behind him and, not that he needed to to know he who was, he turned and looked.

"What's it to you Gabe?" he asked annoyed the he had been caught.

"Do you really think Eve is going to concentrate on you?" Gabriel asked as he made his way inside the room and over to the table where the glass sat before he continued. "Or is it more likely she'll go after the person who threw her into purgatory the first time round?" with that Gabriel grabbed the glass and downed it before heading back to the door.

"Oh and Dean-o? I'm counting on you." He said over his shoulder.

"Counting on me to do what?" Dean asked, he was now very confused.

At that Gabriel stopped in the doorway. It seemed that Castiel hadn't shared all he knew with Dean then. "What is needed." He answered not turning round.

"Hu?" Dean asked still not getting what it was Gabriel was asking him to do.

At that Gabriel turned and looked him dead in the eyes, making Dean's widen, because the look in the former archangels eyes was not one he had ever seen there before. There was no mischief, no amusement, no stern angel-liness, no mask at all. No the look in his eyes was clearly one of pain, but with a need to act. Fear but also determination. They looked to Dean for the very first time so very human.

"If anything should happen to me Dean-o, anything that is irreversible, make sure I don't hurt anyone okay? Whatever it takes." And with that Gabriel turned back round and walked out the door leaving Dean staring after him as he processed that fact that he was pretty sure that Gabriel had just asked him to kill him. Though why he would need to do that he had no idea. Just what the hell was going on now?

Gabriel waked away from Dean hoping he understood what he meant. He knew that he couldn't ask Rose or Cassie to kill him, and Sam would probably try to find a way to get round it, but Dean? He would do it. Especially if it was the only way to protect his family. He knew he might have just signed his own death warrant but it was better his than anyone else's. And then there was Eve. He had just signed hers as well. He just had to now piss her off enough to get her to bite him. Though he didn't think that would be too hard, he could be rather annoying when he wanted to be after all.

With that he put thoughts of death, his and Eve's, out of his mind as he went back to join the others. If this was his last day with his family for the rest of eternity then he was going to make the most of it.

* * *

After an hour long, very frustrating call Bobby got Eve's location. It seemed she had set herself up in a town about half days drive from them, though what she was doing there he had no idea Eleanor had just implied that it was bad. That he inferred from her parting words to him that were so comforting.

_"She is creating her utopia, and she knows you are coming now. She knows exactly who is coming."_

Just thinking it made a shiver run up his spine. Even he didn't know exactly who was going so how would Eve?

Shaking his head he went and called a meeting to gather everyone round and impart the information he had gained.

"She's making Jefferson Starships." Gabriel explained as Bobby repeated Eleanor's words.

"What the bloody hell is a Jefferson Starship?" Crowley asked, he had never heard of them and he had been a demon for nigh on three hundred years.

"And who would be stupid enough to name them that?" Dean asked what hell kind of stupid ass name was Jefferson Starships? I mean really? The band was shit, now there's monsters name that too?

"Well they are a hybrid of all monsters and as for the name Dean-o you did, on the TV show." Gabriel replied smirking at the hunter who glared at him and crossed his arms as Sam sniggered from behind him.

"So who is going?" Bobby asked getting them all back on track with the whole killing the mother of all monsters plan.

"All of us." Rose answered making Bobby, Crowley, Sam and Melissa turn and look at her. Though the other three didn't, this wasn't news to them after all.

"Me and Cas will go in with Sam and Dean as back up, Crowley, Bobby, Rose and Melissa will be protection for Isobel." Gabriel explained to the other four people in the room who then turned their stares to him, Bobby being the first to recover from the information that when Rose said all of them, she had meant **ALL** of them.

"Why the hell you idjits taking that girl with you?" Bobby demanded. He couldn't belief that they would be so reckless as to take the kid on this one, or any one for that matter.

"Because we need her." Gabe replied through gritted teeth staring Bobby down. The old man did not scare him and he would not change his mind on his. It was his only chance to survive, and he really wanted to survive.

"What? How can a two year old help in this fight?" Sam asked trying really hard to keep his temper with the former archangel. I mean how could be so damn cavalier with others' lives.

"You need her to heal you don't you." Crowley stated when Gabriel didn't answer Sam. he wasn't stupid, he knew that the kid had powers and he had watched the archangel train her. Oh he was pretty sure that she didn't have the power to heal a human, at least not yet, but Gabriel? Well he was something else entirely, and all the little bits and pieces he had let slip made Crowley believe that he wasn't quite as human as he pretended to be. Crowley didn't know everything there was to know about angels but he as pretty sure he was the third most knowledgably in the room after the two former ones. And he had an idea just what was happening here.

"Yes." Gabriel replied looking in the eyes of the former demon and wanna be king of hell. Of all people here he thought Crowley would get it first. He certainly wasn't stupid that was for sure.

"Audacious." Crowley responded with a smile on his lips. What was it with the Winchesters and there Hail Mary's anyway?

"I know." Gabriel replied with a shrug. It was, but it was also the only plan they had.

"But it could work." Crowley agreed with a nod. He really didn't know much but he knew that.

"I know." Gabriel said once more with a nod when he realised that without saying it Crowley had given his support and that he would protect his family with everything he had if need be.

"Yes I imagine you do. Much more than the rest of us." Crowley muttered smirking at Gabriel before turning to the room and giving them all his snide smile. Bloody hell had he really just pledged to protect that kid? Or course he had, well he had been looking for a way to redeem himself, what better way than to face off with a load of hybrid monster? Bring it on.

"Okay what is going on here? Dean are you just going let them bring her with us?" Sam asked his brother incredulously, surely Dean wouldn't be that reckless with his child.

"Yeah Sammy, I am." Dean replied with a sigh, god he wished he didn't have to but… and that was it wasn't it? There was always a but in his life.

"What? Why?" Sam asked, he couldn't believe Dean had just said that.

"Cos family don't end in blood. And some risks are worth taking." Dean replied not looking at his brother but at Gabriel who was just watching him and Sam argue.

Sam opened his mouth once more but was stopped by a new voice joining in.

"No Sam, it has been decided so leave it." Rose said with enough force to silence her brother and leave the middle Winchester with nothing to say. She then turned to the rest of the room before they could argue more, they were wasting time here. "Now if we are all going we need to pack, hopefully we can make it to this town before the end of the day and get this finished today." With that Rose rose from her seat to go and pack a bag for both her and Isobel. Gabriel also stood and followed her, he needed to collect his blade from his safe. It was time to face the woman he thought of as his little sister once more, and this time the end would be at least one of the dead. Hopefully only one, but Gabriel had his doubts about that.


	26. Chapter 25

**Hello again. I would like to thank rainystv for the lovely review. So here we are the next chapter, I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own supernatural or any likes I have taken from the show.**

* * *

Once they were all packed they headed out to the cars to get on the road. Well most of them did, as Dean moved to head to his baby Gabriel pulled him aside and out of the hearing of the others.

"Dean-o, if you have to…do what I asked you to, make sure you use this." He said holding up his archangel blade for Dean so he understood. At that Dean nodded. He may not know why Gabriel thought he would have to kill him or why he would need to use an angel blade, but Gabriel had put his trust in him to do what needed to be done if the worst came to pass, and Dean wasn't going to so no. he may not partially like the former archangel, thinking him a bit of an ass, but he was family. He was Cas' brother and the love of his sisters life. He would make sure he did it right if it came to that. Though how those two previously mentioned people would take to him doing it was a different matter, but now was not the time to worry about that. No he would worry about that later, if he had to do it at all.

With that they both made their way out to the impala which Gabriel was also travelling in with Rose, Cas and Isobel while Sam, Bobby, Crowley and Melissa travelled in one of the other cars dotted around the place.

* * *

They made good time to the small town, pulling up in an alley just as it was approaching late afternoon. Dean turned to Gabriel and Rose who were in the backseat to ask them where to go from there but Gabriel just held up his hand to stop him.

"It's okay little one, no one's going to hurt you. I just need to know where she is Issy, can you do that for me?" Gabriel asked the little girl who he had taken out of her car seat to sit on his lap. Or at least that had been the plan but as soon as Isobel was released she had thrown herself into his arms in fear at the feeling she was getting from Eve. Damn it why had he not considered this? She was the one who had detected her rise. Of course she was going to be able to detect her here.

"It's okay sweetheart, mummy's going to stay here with you, and grandpa Bobby and uncle Crowley will as well." Rose said as she stoked her daughter's hair, her eyes meeting Gabriel's and seeing the guilt they held.

At that Isobel sat back from Gabriel looked him in the eyes for a minute before she spoke one word. "Diner."

"Thanks kiddo." Gabriel replied pressing a kiss to her head and handing her over to Rose before moving to get out. He was stopped by Roses hand, the ring shining on her finger, grabbed his arm. Turning to look at her he smiled gently before leaning over and giving her a love filled kiss.

"Don't worry Rosie, this isn't goodbye." With that he got out of the car and stepped away, staring towards the square where the diner was located, where Eve was located. No this wasn't goodbye, even if he was to die today he would make sure his last sight on this earth would be Rose's beautiful face. So this was definitely not goodbye, not yet.

Dean and Cas followed Gabriel out the car and Sam came to join them. It was agreed that the rest of the people would stay in the impala so if needed they could make a quick getaway. With good lucks all-round the four who had been chosen for this fight headed out to the diner, weapons on show. There was no point hiding them now, Eve knew they were coming, they might as well show their force.

* * *

Arriving at the diner Gabriel directed Sam and Dean to come in the other exits as he and Cas would go through the front door. With a nod and a shared look Dean and Sam peeled off, leaving the two former angels alone.

"You ready?" Gabriel asked turning to Castiel with a crazy smile on his face. Now the time was here and there was nothing more he could do he felt almost light hearted. What happened from this moment on was in the lap of fate, he just hoped she was in a forgiving mood.

One look at his face and Castiel nodded, he did not know what would happen inside but he had faith that it would all turn out well.

Gabriel pushed open the door to the diner and looked around. At his and Castiel entrance everyone inside turned to watch them, there was no pretence that no one in there knew just what was going on. Running his eyes across the faces his gaze finally fell on the pretty waitress behind the counter. Making his way across the floor with Castiel following he sat himself down on a stool in front of her, placing his gun with the phoenix ash bullet and his archangel blade on the counter in front of him before he spoke.

"Hello Eve." He said amiably, as if he was greeting an old acquaintance.

"Hello big brother." She replied staring at him with a genuine is somewhat feral smile upon her face. With that she picked up the gun he had placed down and smelt it. "Phoenix ash. I'm impressed. I bet you had to go a long way for that. What with you being, not quite as you once were." She said smiling at him removing the guns but not touching the angel blade. It seemed that some things where still ingrained in her from Eden.

"Yeah well, it's amazing how humans have found their own way of time travel." Gabriel said conversationally trying to work out how he was going to go about getting her to do what he needed her to do.

"Is that what you are now Gabriel? Are you human?" Eve asked raising her eye brow as she looked him up and down.

"Yes." Gabriel replied with a sad smile on his face. That could work.

"Why?" Eve asked leaning on the counter opposite him so that their faces where only inches apart. Gabriel had to stop himself from leaning back from her, this was a game of words and he had to make sure he played it right.

"The unusual reason, I did it all for a girl." He replied with a true smile on his lips as the thought of Rose crossed his mind.

"How romantic, I hope she appreciates you the way you deserve." Eve said in return moving back from the counter and turning to pick up the coffee pot and placing two cups down in front of Gabriel and Castiel

"I'm sure she does." Gabriel replied smirking now.

"So you, as a human, have come to kill me, bringing you little brother along for the ride?" Eve asked filling the coffee cups and pushing them towards the two people in front of her.

"Yeah something like that." Gabriel replied taking a sip of the coffee, damn, it was actually rather good.

"Not quite, you brought the Winchesters to." With that two men who he guessed had been turned into monsters just like the rest of the town no doubt came in each pulling one of the Winchester brothers with them. "Well, so much for your plan B." Eve continued looking over at the boys with a smile on her face.

Gabriel didn't correct her that actually they were there for a very different reason to the one she thought, and probably the one they thought as well. They were there to help him and Cas to kill all the monsters in this place once she was dead. Hmm, time to move this along he thought finishing the coffee before he turned to Eve and asked "what do you want?" looking her straight in the yes.

"You." Eve replied without hesitation making Gabriel's eyebrow raise at that. Just exactly what did she mean by that?

"Excuse me?" He asked hoping she would clarify.

"You heard Gabriel. I want you to come join me. Become the father of my children." Eve explained making his eyebrow to rise higher along with startled looks to appear on Sam, Dean and Cas faces. Now that he hadn't expected.

"And why would I do that?" Gabriel asked, trying to buy time. He knew she wouldn't buy it if he agreed straight off and he needed to make sure that to turn him it she bit him.

"Because in return I won't kill you friends or your family." Eve replied simply.

"Why me?" he asked stalling yet again as he thought.

"I still remember you, from my time before Lucifer made me better. Back then I had no chance of ever being you equal in power, I was just the annoying little sister you deemed to play with when it suited you and ignored when it didn't. The great archangel Gabriel, one of our father's chosen favourites. No I had to sit back and watch you condense to me, to treat me like a child." Eve ranted making Gabriel close his eyes but at that sentence he had to interrupt.

"You were a child Eve." Gabriel exclaimed.

But Eve just carried on as if he had never spoken. "And then Lucifer gave me this power, this amazing power so that I could create my own family, one that rivalled yours, but still you were stronger than me. Rather than rejoicing with me at my gift you threw me away and locked the door." She snapped at him making the guilt return two-fold.

"I sorry but-" He tried to say but this time it was Eve who interrupted him by putting her finger to his lips.

"Uh-uh Gabriel, mother is talking. You see now you aren't more powerful than me, in fact at this present moment in time you are not even my equal, you are a fragile simple human. But I am not vindictive Gabriel. Out of all the archangels, you were the only one who was willing to give me the time of day, and as such I will give you that which you crave most." Eve finished with a flourish as if she was offering a special treat.

"And what exactly is that?" Gabriel asked though he was pretty sure he knew the answer to that already thank you very much. And he was also pretty sure he didn't want it, not that he really had a choice.

"Power. I will make you my equal Gabriel. And together, you and I will rule this world that your father has deserted." Eve explained excitement lighting up her eyes.

"He hasn't deserted it Eve." Gabriel defended automatically, yeah okay his dad may have gone walk abouts for a while but still.

"Really? Then why is it you are human and not an archangel still Gabriel?" Eve asked as if this explained everything to her, and maybe it did.

"My choice. And I would make the same again for her. For the woman I love I would do anything. But I won't become like you." he said in reply. This was it. Time to get this twisted show on the road and to find out if fate was on his side.

"No Gabriel you will join me." Eve said menacingly moving round the counter so she was standing behind his shoulder.

"Never." Gabriel replied, determination in his eyes as he look straight at her.

"Don't test me Gabriel." Eve said in a growl grabbing his shoulders in her hands and squeezing them tightly.

"In the immortal words of Dean Winchester, bite me." Gabriel smirked at her.

"What a good idea." She whispered into his ear and with that Eve plunged her teeth into Gabriel's neck.


	27. Chapter 26

**Hello again. So her you go next bit.**

**Umm, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

_Then…_

_"In the immortal words of Dean Winchester, bite me." Gabriel smirked at her._

_"What a good idea." She whispered into his ear and with that Eve plunged her teeth into Gabriel's neck._

_Now…_

* * *

"Gabriel." Castiel shouted as he saw Eve plunge her teeth into his neck. Yes he knew that this was going to happen in theory, but that was so much different than watching it play out in real life. His brother had just been bitten in front of him. He wished he could move, go to him, but he was stopped by one of Eve's monsters hands on his shoulder. Suddenly Eve pulled back from Gabriel coughing.

"I'm sorry little sister." Gabriel said turning on his stool to watch as she clutched her throat and black liquid started to come out of her mouth.

"How?" she managed to croak out looking up at him with such betrayal in her eyes.

"The Winchester way." Gabriel replied with a shrug. And with that a light started to be admitted from her chest as black liquid ran down her face. And choking she fell to the floor dead.

At that point the Jefferson Starships that had been waiting calmly started to move, wanting to fight and kill those who had killed there mother. Grabbing his angel blade Gabriel turned and killed the two holding Castiel before doing the same to the ones holding Sam. turning to the ones holding Dean he found his brother had gotten there before him. With that the four of the turned to fight back to back, Castiel and Gabriel with their angel blades and Sam and Dean with machetes in hand.

The fighting was fierce. The monsters wanted to avenge their mother and the Winchesters and angels just wanted to survive. Gabriel could feel himself on one hand weakening and on the other becoming stronger as whatever it was Eve hand put into him coursed through his veins. But he would fight it, just as he was fighting these monsters. He would not succumb yet. No he had to see Rose once more before he died. He had told her that wasn't goodbye and he was going to make sure he kept to that. So with renewed vigour he fought with all he had.

Finally after what seemed like forever but was in fact more like a couple of minutes all the Jefferson Starships were dead and the Winchesters and Cas where fine except for a few scratches. Gabriel on the other hand was finding it more and more difficult to stand. With that he collapsed to his knees, the images in front of his eyes swimming. He couldn't focus or think too well. It was near the end he knew, he did not have long left.

"Gabriel." Castiel once again shouted as he saw his brother collapse, running to him he put his arm around him in support.

"Need Issy, time short." Gabriel replied though laboured breaths as the world span around him.

"Go get her." Castiel snapped at Sam who was standing there looking shocked with no idea what to do.

"No." Gabriel managed to get out grabbing his brother's arm and making Castiel turn back to him. "Not here. Don't let her see-" Gabriel couldn't finish that sentence but he thought that everyman there knew he meant that he didn't want his two year old niece to see a room full of dead bodies.

"Okay, okay. Sam can you-?" Castiel asked as he stood pulling Gabriel with him. Sam came straight round to grab him and put his arm around Gabriel but before he could Gabriel growled Sam's brother's name.

* * *

Dean watched Gabriel collapse. He really didn't think there was much help for the guy. But he hoped.

When Gabriel growled his name he came forwards, wondering what he wanted with him.

Gabriel saw a form he guessed was Dean stand in front of him. With that he held out his archangel blade to the eldest Winchester managing to get out "You'll need this." Hoping he would understand.

Dean took the blade and just nodded. Gabriel had made it seem like he would need the blade for protection on their journey, but he and Gabriel both knew that the former archangel was giving it to him so that he could kill him if needs be.

With that the four made their way out of the diner, heading to where the impala was parked across the square.

* * *

Rose was in the impala impatient to know what was going on but trying her best to be a calming influence for her daughter. She hated that she was sitting her waiting. For all she knew Gabriel could already be dead. No she couldn't think that, he would be fine, they had a plan. It was these thoughts that were going through her head when suddenly her daughter let out an anguished cry and tried to scramble out of the car.

"Issy what is it honey?" She asked trying desperately to hold onto the girl.

"Uncle Gabe." Was all her daughter said before she was trying to get out once more. But her words had an effect on her mother, it seemed she was no longer trying to hold her back, but rather her mother was now helping her out.

As soon as Isobel said Gabriel's name Rose knew he was in trouble. It was time to move. Yes they couldn't go bursting into the diner with Eve there but they could get close. That way Isobel would be nearer to him to save him once they came out. With that though Rose was moving, climbing out of the car and running to the square with Bobby shouted after her and strangely enough Crowley chasing her muttering curse words under his breath.

Once she got as close as she dared to the diner she stood, placing her daughter on the ground and holding on to her hand for dear life. It was not 30 seconds before the other three people caught up with her.

"Damn it girl. Don't run off like think ya idjit." Bobby growled once he had positioned himself in front of her and Isobel, looking out and around.

Rose didn't design to reply to that, she just watched the door to the diner and hoped and prayed that he would make it out alive.

* * *

As soon as Dean pushed through the door he saw a group of people standing in the middle of square. He was about to go into battle mode when he realised that the one in front was Bobby, what the hell? But they didn't have time for that right now. They had to save Gabriel.

"There." he shouted to Cas and Sam starting to jog over to the group, which with one look at Gabriel parted to reveal his sister and daughter.

* * *

Rose took one look at Gabriel and her hand involuntarily tightened round her daughters. But she could be strong, and he would survive. She watched as Castiel and Sam dragged the practically unconscious man across the square, then Castiel ordered Sam to place his brother at Isobel's feet. Feeling confused but not about to argue Sam did as he was told and then moved to stand with Melissa who was watching on with horror.

Rose knelt with her daughter smiling reassuringly at her but said not a word as Isobel put her hand on Gabriel's chest. With a frown appearing on the toddlers face her hand started to glow lightly.

Rose couldn't help it. As she watched the glow she reached out with the hand which held the ring and folded her fingers with those of the man she loved, repeating over and over in her head, 'come Gabriel you can do this. I love you, I need you, you can do this.' As if it was a chant which would somehow bring him back from whatever cliff edge he was currently perched on.

* * *

Castiel laid his brother down and stood back, not far, but far enough for Isobel and Rose to not be crowded, suddenly he found an arm around him and he leaned into the body beside him, taking what strength he could from Deans presence. It had to work, it had to. His father had said it would, and his father couldn't be wrong, not about this. But as the time went on and nothing happened except Isobel's hand glowed weakly he found that belief being slowly eroded away. Was he going to have to stand here and watch his brother die?

* * *

Dean stood with his arm around the man he loved and watched as his daughter tried to heal his brother. He could see it wasn't working, he had no idea of why it just wasn't. With that realisation he tighten his hand on the archangel blade that Gabriel had given if, if needs must he would. Though a thought briefly went through his mind wondering if he could actually do it. Stab the man as he lay on the ground dead or if he would have to wait for him to awake and attack before he could plunge the blade into Gabriel's heart.

Rose suddenly stopped her internal chant as she saw Gabriel eyes flicker. He was coming round, oh thank god he was going to be alright. And so she leaned closer to him and smiled as his eyes opened and locked onto hers.

* * *

Gabriel could feel he was moving, being pulled along at a fast pace, he just hoped it wasn't because anyone was following them or anything. Then suddenly he was gently laid on to the ground and he felt a small gentle hand lay across his chest. He could feel the grace being emitted from it. He tried to reach for it. Tried to connect it to his own, but every time he seemed to get close it slipped away once more. Briefly he felt fingers wrapping round his and the ring connecting with his skin, he wanted to return the pressure that Rose was giving in the squeeze of his hands but it seemed his fingers no longer worked. In fact nothing seemed to work anymore, he couldn't move and he couldn't reach his grace. He was going to die. There was no question about that now, the only question was how he wanted to go out. With that thought he forced his eye lids to rise, if he was going to die he was going to see the woman he loved once more.

"Gabriel, you going to be okay." Rose whispered with tears streaming out of her eyes. He wanted to reach up and wiped them away but he couldn't.

"Love you Rose." He finally managed to get out, though the words were barely auditable. But he had managed them, it had taken everything he had to say them, but they were said once more before he went in to the night. With that thought he took one last breath and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he died with a smile on his lips that at least he got to see her beautiful face once more.

* * *

**Sorry please don't hate me.**


	28. Chapter 27

**Hello all. I would like to thank rainystv for the lovely reviews. So here we go next chapter. This one is rather long so I hope you like it. As usual the bits in italics are memories. This chapter goes through quite a lot of people's thoughts and feelings.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

_Then…_

_"Love you Rose." He finally managed to get out, though the words were barely auditable. But he had managed them, it had taken everything he had to say them, but they were said once more before he went in to the night. With that thought he took one last breath and his eyes rolled into the back of his head as he died with a smile on his lips that at least he got to see her beautiful face once more._

_Now…_

* * *

"Gabriel, no, no you can't be dead, Gabriel, you can't die. Oh god please tell me he isn't dead." Rose cried desperately grabbing at the body in front of her and trying to find a pulse or to check he was breathing anything that would tell her that he was going to be okay. She couldn't, no wouldn't lose him. Not after everything they had been through. She would do anything to get him back. Anything at all.

"He isn't dead." A gentle voice sounded from the other side of Gabriel's body. Turning Rose's mouth dropped open as sitting there on the ground next to the man she loved was his father, God, in his guise of Chuck the prophet. "He is currently changing in to a Jefferson Starship."

"Then save him." She demanded desperately, she didn't care that the being opposite her had the power to remove her from existence with a wave of his hand all she cared about was getting her Gabriel back.

"I can't save him Rose. He chose this path and it is not one I can interfere with." Chuck replied remorsefully. He wished he could just wave his hand and bring his son back, but it didn't work like that. Free will was a tricky concept and he could not interfere with a path chosen by one who had it. Not directly at any rate.

"Then what the hell good are you?" Rose snapped. She needed someone who could help him god damn it.

"I said I couldn't save him, but I can help he save himself." And with that Chuck put his hand on Gabriel's forehead and closed his eyes.

* * *

Dean saw Gabriel's eyes roll back and heard his sister's broken voice. He took a step towards them, though whether to comfort Rose or to stab Gabriel through the heart he didn't know, but then suddenly everything changed. Because there sitting next to Gabriel was Chuck. What the hell was going on now?

Castiel watched the same, but unlike Rose and Dean he wouldn't give up. He wouldn't believe that his father would abandon Gabriel like this. And as such he started to pray, using everything he had to call his father down to help his brother, and when he appeared in the form of Chuck the prophet Castiel felt himself smile. Everything would be fine now, his dad would save his brother. With that thought he took a step forwards so he was once again next to Dean and entwined their fingers tighter as he waited for his brother to wake.

* * *

Sam had no idea what was going on, he didn't know why Chuck was there, how Chuck had even got there and he really didn't understand what Isobel was doing. But he also knew better than to ask right now. The tension in the air was tangible and as such he just wrapped his long arms around Melissa and pulled her close. Subconsciously seeking comfort from her and returning it to the woman in his arms who knew even less than him about this situation.

* * *

Crowley watched on and for the first time in his life he prayed that this would work. Even though he and Gabriel had at one point been on opposite sides of the war of good and evil he had, since becoming human, come to respect the archangel. Even like him. He certainly had style when it came to winding up Moose and Squirrel, and anyone who could piss Dean off to such an extent was all good with him. After all Dean was also his favourite person to annoy. So when it looked like he had gone and the next time he awoke he would no longer be himself Crowley prayed. And when God (he wasn't stupid he knew who that was) appeared he did the only sensible thing for a former demon to do. He hid behind Bobby watching what was happening over his shoulder in hopes that he wouldn't spot him and send him straight back to hell.

* * *

Bobby watched on, not truly sure what was happening but hoping that the former archangel had a trick up his sleeve still so he would survive. He liked the guy, even if he did insist on calling him old man and grandpa. He made Rose happy and loved Isobel in the same way that he loved the boys. Yeah Bobby hoped he had a plan. He didn't want to lose any of this family.

* * *

Gabriel on the other hand decided he must be having the weirdest ass dream ever. Because he was in this place, which seemed to have no walls but was enclosed. And contained inside were things from every part of his life. Which considering he was created at the beginning of time, that was a lot of stuff. But one thing he knew for certain, this wasn't purgatory, which meant Dean hadn't killed him yet. Why not? There was no way to save him now, best just to get it over with right?

"Is that truly how you feel my son? Because if so I can leave Dean to his job if you wish." Came a voice behind him which made him roll his eyes. Of course this was his father's doing, who else would it be?

"Hey dad. So where are we and why are you here?" Gabriel asked not even bothering to reply to God's question. He didn't really care anymore.

"We're in your mind." God replied looking round as if he was actually interested in the shit that surrounded them.

"No wonder it's so freaking crazy." Gabriel muttered taking another look around himself at the things his mind thought were important. "And you're here because?" He asked again turning back to looking at his father.

"Well I'm here to help you save yourself." God replied sitting in a comfy looking armchair.

"In case you didn't get the memo dad, it didn't work." Gabriel replied bitterly, what was his dad here to rub it in? Was that what this was?

"It didn't work Gabriel, because you have not found your purpose." God replied crossing his legs and looking long and hard at his son.

"And you think you can help me do that in the extremely short amount of time I have left?" Gabriel laughed humourlessly, he had been trying to do that for months now with no success, why did his dad think that he could do it in minutes?

"Not if you do not believe it is possible Gabriel no. without faith you will never find the answer you seek." God said quietly still staring at Gabriel.

"Oh great more riddles. I don't need to seek my purpose dad, I know what it is." Gabriel argued crossing his arms at his father.

"Which is?" God asked simply.

"Rose and Isobel. They're my everything." Gabriel answered in a voice that said just try and contradict me.

"That is a lamentable purpose Gabriel, but it is also a human one. And you are an archangel. For this to work you must find that purpose within yourself." God replied seriously.

"I haven't really been an archangel for millennia dad." Gabriel replied with a sigh. Just what was he getting at here?

"Really? Do you truly believe that? What were you doing then if you were not an archangel?" God asked, though why Gabriel had no idea. He was well aware that his father knew the answer to that, but still he answered.

"Being Loki, pagan god of mischief. But you already know that so why ask me?"

"And tell me Gabriel what did Loki do?" God asked ignoring Gabriel's question in return for asking one of his own.

"He dealt people there just desserts." Gabriel said, he really was starting to wonder what his father was getting at here.

"Exactly." God replied as if Gabriel had just found some secret.

"Okay now you've lost me." Gabriel said running a hand through his hair in frustration at his father doing his favourite thing of speaking in freaking riddles again.

"You left heaven to protect the people who couldn't protect themselves. That to me seems like a very angelic thing to do." God explained.

Gabriel thought for a moment and once again tried to reach his grace with this new purpose of helping people but still it didn't work. What the hell was left for him to do? How did remembering his time as Loki help now if he still couldn't reach his grace?

"That doesn't help. I still can't reach my grace."

"That is because that is not you true purpose, the charge I laid down on your shoulders at the creation of this world. That's the purpose you must find to survive."

And with that God disappeared from his mind leaving Gabriel reeling as a memory long buried pushed to the surface of his consciousness. He had no choice but to stand and watch it.

_Gabriel kneel before his father wondering what duty this being would give him. All his brothers had there's in this universe of light, he, as the last created of them, was the last to get his role._

_"Gabriel. I have thought long and hard about what role you will play, you the youngest of the archangels. I have created many angels that are like you and your brothers, but you will be their leaders for the four of you have more power than they will ever comprehend. But they are young, and they do not know their way, and as such they need a teacher Gabriel, a guide. Would you be willing to take on this charge?"_

_"Yes father, I would." He replied instantly. He would be happy to help the younger beings. His new brothers and sisters._

_"That is good. I have also started in motion the creation of my newest beings. Humanity. But for them I have created free will, they can choose to do as they wish. They will also need someone to guide them Gabriel, someone to show them my light and to foreswear the darkness. Will you do that to Gabriel, my son? Will you be my messenger to humanity?"_

_"Gladly father, I will spread your light and love to every corner of this universe." Gabriel replied. He had not thought his father would give him such an important role. He would be the bridge between his father and his creations and Gabriel could not wait until he could start his new duties._

_"Then so be it Gabriel. You are now the chosen messenger of God." _

The Gabriel in his head (the real one, not the memory) then found himself reliving various memories throughout his life, his announcement of Jesus' birth and all that entailed, the development of his and Jesus' friendship. The first he had ever had, and how that man had taught him about humanity in a way that watching them from heaven never had. Fast forward to his disappearance from heaven, changing his face but not being willing to give up his powers and as such taking on the form of Loki so he could continue being who he was. Enjoying that pranking and mischief that came with his new role, but finding that it didn't completely fulfil him. How he first found the joys to be had giving out just desserts to those who deserved them. Punishing the guilty and obnoxious as they deserved to be punished his new way of teaching gods words to the world. Discovering what Castiel had done when pulling Dean out of hell and choosing to protect the child that reminded him of his role in teaching the fledglings in heaven at the beginning of time. His first meeting with Rose and how she surprised him. How she taught him yet another aspect of himself that he had long since forgotten, about family. How he had told Sam and Dean how to open the cage and put Lucifer back in. The alternate reality where he learned about what could be. How he came back and changed it by sharing all he had learnt.

When the last memory disappeared Gabriel was breathless and wide eyed, because however much he may have believed he had left heaven it seemed he had never stopped doing that duty which his father laid upon his shoulders. He was and forever would be the chosen messenger of God and that was his purpose in life.

With that realisation Gabriel felt his grace surge forwards, it felt like coming home. The feel of the warmth once more seeping through his consciousness. And for the first time since he gave up his powers he felt truly right within himself. With that he closed his metaphorical eyes and allowed the feel of his true self envelop him.


	29. Chapter 28

**Hello again. Here's the next bit, I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Rose was waiting with bated breath for whatever Chuck was doing to work and for Gabriel to come back to her. When Chuck opened his eyes and removed his hand from his sons forehead yet nothing happened she turned to him to demand to know what was going on but he just put his finger to his lips not taking his eyes off of Gabriel's prone form. As such she turned her eyes back to him as well and went back to waiting.

* * *

Castiel watched his father come out of his brothers mind and sit back and watch and he knew that he had done all he could. The rest was up to Gabriel. Not that Castiel was afraid he would fail. Gabriel never failed. He would fight and would win, he was the archangel Gabriel, failure was not an option in Castiel's mind.

Dean soon worked out just who Chuck was, let's be honest it really wasn't that hard to piece it all together, and as such he prayed that he could save Gabriel, for Cas, for Rose and for Isobel. They needed the arrogant bastard.

* * *

Rose was still waiting, she would not give up hope, when Gabriel's eyes suddenly flew open, she leaned forwards to speak to him, tell him she loved him, when she noticed that his eyes were glowing. Suddenly a blinding white light seemed to radiate from Gabriel's body making her have to shield her eyes. In fact almost everyone there had to shield their eyes, the exceptions being Castiel and Isobel who both had the ability to look on pure grace without any effects to them. The light spread out, engulfing them all, healing all the cuts and bruises that they had and then carried on until it had engulfed the whole town, destroying any remaining monster within the towns limits with just a touch.

When the light died down Rose turned to Gabriel, expecting to find him still lying down but alive, what she didn't expect was to see him sitting up crossed legged, high fiving her daughter with one hand and holding a lolly with the other.

"Gabriel." She whispered in awe. The only thing she could think of that had happened was that he had become as he once was. A fully powered up archangel. But she didn't care, he was alive and that was all that mattered, and surely Gabriel would find a way so they could stay together right?

"Hey Rosie." Gabriel said when he saw her looking at him, a genuine smile crossing his lips, though it turned cheeky when she just sat there staring at him with her mouth opening and closing and no sound coming out. He had survived and he had come back to her. Right now there was only one thing he wanted to do. Taking her hand in his and looking deep into her eyes he asked the question he had been wanting to ask for a long, long time. "Will you marry me Rose Winchester?"

At those words Rose threw herself into Gabriel's arms and laughing and crying she buried her head in his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Am I to take that as a yes?" Gabriel asked grinning like a manic.

At that Rose nodded her head and a muffled yes came out of her throat before she pulled back to look him in the eyes once more. "Definitely a yes." She whispered.

With those words Gabriel pulled her into his embrace and kissed her as passionately as she had kissed his past self, and this time he didn't hold anything back. Oh he didn't have the power he had then, he wasn't despite her belief a fully powered archangel, but he had enough to make the wind swirl around them both and the emotions they were both feeling to course through there bodies and join together just like the beings who were feeling them.

When they finally pulled back Rose was out of breath and words and Gabriel was just looking smug. Before either of them could say anything more though there was a cough from behind them and turning they came face to face with a glowering Dean and a worried looking Castiel. Seeing them Rose just rolled her eyes and turned back to Gabriel, she didn't need to deal with them right now. But when she looked at the love of her life she saw he was stilling looking at them. It was then that she looked over Gabriel's shoulder only to find the spot in which god had been sitting was now vacant. It was almost as if he had never been there.

"What's going on Gabe?" Dean asked cautiously.

"Well first off, that's mine." And with a snap of his fingers the archangel blade that had been in Dean's hand was safely back in Gabriel's.

"Did father give you back your grace?" Castiel asked, he didn't know if that was the case or if the grace used to be Gabriel soul was powerful enough to do all he had seen. That grace, what he had seen, that was the power of an angel. Was Gabriel that powerful with just his soul?

"No Cassie. Just little old me finding myself." Gabriel replied with a smile for his brother. He realised that the former seraph had no idea just how powerful he had truly been.

"Umm, okay I have no idea what is going on, but don't you think we should move? I mean there could be more monsters here." Sam said, thinking that now seemed as good as time as any to get out of here. Gabriel seemed fine, and so where they all. So definitely time to book it.

"There were Sasquatch but I dealt with them. You welcome." Gabriel replied jumping up onto his feet. Damn he hadn't felt this good in so long. He wanted to use his powers just to show he could. Yes okay he didn't have an unlimited supply granted, his grace would have to recharge after what he had just done but still. He had his powers back.

"Right okay, then maybe we should go before anyone shows up here?" Sam asked the group collectively. There were far too many dead bodies round here to explain to anyone.

"The boy has a point. Let's go." Bobby agreed putting away his weapons now the danger seemed to be past. Also if he got them all back to the house he could proceed to grill them all on what the hell just happened here.

With that they all trundled back to the cars to make their way back home, where they all knew they would be having a very long and evolved conversation discussing all that had happened this day. And while Gabriel knew he would have a lot of explaining to do he didn't care. He was back with his family that he loved and he had his grace once more filling his mind. Yes to him his life was finally perfect once more.


	30. Chapter 29

**Hello all. I would like to thank rainystv for the lovely reviews. Glad you still liking it.**

**So this is the second to last chapter for this story. I would like to take this time to thank all of you who have followed and favoured this story and a special thanks to those who reviewed, I loved hearing your thoughts so a really big thank goes out to you. **

**Now on with the chapter I hope you like it.**

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

It had taken most of the night but finally everyone had got some answers to what had happened and were now all finally on the same page, knowing why Isobel had to go with them and what had happened to make Gabriel have grace once again. As such they decided that that would be a good place to go to bed and sleep on all they had heard.

Though Gabriel of course still had a question in his mind. He had some of his grace back what with now being able to tap into his soul, it may give him a power equivalent to that of a regular angel but he was still not the archangel he once was. He still didn't have his wings and he still needed to eat and sleep and do other human things, not that any of that really mattered too much to him. He had enough to heal and protect his family (and make it so he could eat as many sweets as he like without his teeth rotting) and that was all he needed, but the question, the one that would not let him sleep was whether his father would let him keep it. He had made him as human as he could and locked away his grace, would he do it again now that he was better?

* * *

It was as dawn was breaking on the horizon that Gabriel gently crawled out of his and Rose's bed. He didn't want to leave her, not after being so close to losing her but there was somewhere he needed to be this morning, and something he needed to do. With that in mind he silently made his way out to his car where he started it and drove off, with only one destination in mind.

* * *

Rose woke to the door closing behind Gabriel sitting up she wondered what he was doing at such a time in the morning, but as soon as she heard the car start she knew, and rather than getting out of bed to follow him as she would have done a week ago she instead lay back down closing her eyes once more. He would come home when he was done and he would tell her what he wanted her to know. She did not need to know the ins and outs of Gabriel's relationship with his father, she just needed to know he was happy, and that he seemed to be, finally. She just hoped that god didn't take away the one thing she knew that Gabriel needed, and that was his power. He had enough of his grace back now to do the things he wanted to do, she really hoped god didn't take it away from him again. It would destroy him.

* * *

Gabriel drove up to the church just as the sun rose above the spire. It really was beautiful, and for a minute he sat there taking in the peace and beauty of the moment before he moved and entered the church.

Rather than going straight up to the altar to pray Gabriel first made his way to the candles for the departed, pulling out some change he put it in the box before lighting one in the memory of the little girl who had died so many years ago. He lit a candle for the Eve he knew and loved, not the one he had killed. That done he walked up to the altar he looked at it for a moment, wondering what it was he wanted to say. He had wanted to have this conversation in person, but that was unlikely to happen-

"Never say never Gabriel." Came a voice behind him. Turning so he was leaning against the altar he saw his father, once again as the priest of this church sitting in the front pew.

"Hey dad." He said with a smile on his face.

"Hello Gabriel. So how are you feeling?" God asked with an honestly interested look on his face. He truly wanted to know the answer to his question, he had after all spent months listening to his son's anguished prayers.

"Better, a lot better." Gabriel replied, and he didn't just mean from the whole Eve turning him into a monster thing, but the whole becoming almost human thing.

"Good I'm glad." God smiled at him but said no more making Gabriel ask the question that had been going round the back of his head. The one he wasn't truly sure he wanted the answer to, but he had to know.

"So you going to lock my grace back up now I'm healed?"

"I can't do that Gabriel, that would be interfering with humanity. If you have found a way to unlock the power in your soul, well there is nothing I can do to change that now can I?" God said with a completely innocent look on his face but there was a twinkle in his eye and Gabriel thought he might have just realised where he got his slightly devious side from.

"Thank you father." He said with complete sincerity he had not wanted to go back to way he had been for the last few months, though of course he would have. He would not leave Rose and if that was the only option then he would have learnt to deal with it.

"You are truly welcome." God replied and with that a peaceful silence descended on the two beings in the church as Gabriel moved to sit next to his father, both just relaxing in the others company before God decided to talk of the other things they needed to discuss, they was a few things on that list starting with, "So marriage…"

"Yeah, I know. Kinda scary right?" Gabriel said bringing his eyes back from where they were looking at the cross behind the altar and smirking at his father.

"Who are you going to get to perform the ceremony?" God asked ignoring Gabriel's attempt at humour.

"No idea. I'm sure the Winchesters know of someone who won't question my lack of last name or birth certificate and such." Gabriel replied with a shrug, to be honest he really hadn't thought that far ahead, only thinking that he would have his Rose for entirety in the eyes of everyone not just their family.

"Or I could do it for you. If you'd like." God suggested off-handily.

"Wow that would take getting married in the eyes of God to an extreme don't you think?" Gabriel joked, he was so surprised by the suggestion that he couldn't quite process it.

"Do you not wish for me to perform the wedding Gabriel?" God asked in an even voice, making sure that any hurt he might feel was not revelled to his son.

"No, I would like it if you did." his archangel-ly human replied with a soft smile. In Gabriel's mind he couldn't think of anyone he would rather marry him and Rose than his dad, and not because he was God, but because he was his dad.

"Well that's settled. So only two more things to sort." God said clapping his hands together, oh he was going to enjoy the next part of the conversation very much.

"Two?" Gabriel asked confused. He could think of one, but two?

"Yes, what you are going to do with the rest of your life and what you are going to call your son?" God said with a smug grin on his face as he watched the shocked look form on Gabriel's, yes he was right, this really was fun.

"My what?" Gabriel managed to finally get out. Cos there was no way right? I mean Roses wasn't-was she? Surely if she was then archangel him would have noticed that. Right?

"Son, Gabriel, you know male child?" God replied smirking even more.

"I'm having a child?" Gabriel was still completely in shock about this information. I mean seriously when in the hell did that happen?

"Well Rose will be giving birth to him and he will be both of yours but yes." God confirmed.

"How in the hell did that happen?" Gabriel asked rhetorically, not that God was going to let the chance slip him by which is why he replied with,

"Do I really need to go over the mechanics with you son?" Oh how he was enjoying this conversation.

"Yeah, no I think I worked them out some time ago. When?" Gabriel finally asked trying to get his head round this new information, he was going to be a father.

"In 9 months, give or take a few days." God replied making Gabriel frown.

"Do you mean she is literally just pregnant?" He asked, cos well they umm, hadn't really had a chance to get round to do that yet. Or at least not since he came back from the dead or whatever you wanted to call it.

"Yes, but then what do you expect when you go round exploding grace everywhere?" God replied, that was all he was going to say to on that matter. He was sure Gabriel would work it out himself, eventually.

At that sentence Gabriel frowned, did his dad mean what he thought he did? Was his and Rose's children like Isobel? Was he created when Gabriel reconnected with his grace as she was created when Castiel pulled Dean from hell? But surely for that to happen Rose would have had to been involved with his re-connection. It was then he remembered the feel of her hand in his, the ring laced with his grace on her finger against his skin. Yeah that could probably do it. Not that he knew for sure, no doubt he would at some point though and he was well aware his father would say no more on that subject. "Okay. Well we'll think of a name I'm sure." He finally answered still thinking about what it all meant.

"Good. Now what are you going to do with your life?" God asked changing the subject to the last thing on his list. He wanted to make sure Gabriel was settled before he returned to heaven, Gabriel and Castiel, though the younger of the two seemed pretty happy already and no doubt would only get more so once Gabriel was back to his old self.

"Honestly dad? I don't really know. I mean I know my purpose, but how to bring it to fruition is a bit of a mystery right now." Gabriel replied running his hand through his hair. He got that he was God's chosen messenger, that he was supposed to guide those in his charge. The how escaped him somewhat.

"Well this church needs a new minster. Its current one has another part of the lord's kingdom to oversee and he just doesn't have the time for this as well." God replied smiling at Gabriel, the twinkle once again appearing in his eye as Gabriel just turned to look at him with disbelief.

"Wait, you want me to become a preacher?" He asked, I mean really? Him?

"You would be spreading my word." God replied with a shrug as if it was obvious to him.

"Yeah, but my stories, some of them are rather different to the bible." Gabriel stated, and by rather different he meant seriously different in places.

"The bible was written by man trying to understand that which they never could. I believe that you will be able to explain it much better than that book." God argued.

At that Gabriel thought for a moment. It was never something he had thought of doing, but now that his father had planted the idea in his mind it seemed to fit. "Okay." He said at last enjoying the surprised look on Gods face at the word.

"Okay?" God repeated making sure he heard correctly.

"Sure why not?" Gabriel replied with a shrug and a smug smile on his lips.

"Well that was easier than I thought it would be." Was Gods reply. He was not used to Gabriel going along with his ideas quite so easily.

"Don't get used to it dad. I'm not always this amiable." Gabriel replied bumping his shoulder against his father's in a remarkably human gesture.

"Of that I am well aware. Good luck Gabriel, enjoy your family." And with that God disappeared.

"Yeah dad, I will." And then Gabriel just sat there and absorbed the peace for a while before he decided he should go back to Rose, there were quite a few things they needed to discuss after all.

With that Gabriel returned to the house and his future wife, climbing back into the bed beside her as it was still far too early in the morning to wake her. He then gently slipped his hand onto her belly in the hopes he could confirm what his father had told him, and when Rose stirred enough to place her hand upon his, the one with his ring on, he could feel the young soul developing inside her. With a smile on his face for his family Gabriel drifted off to sleep. All was right with the world, he had his family and he had found his peace.


	31. Epilogue

**Hello again, well here we are at the end. I would really like to thank you all for your support for this story. The follows, favours and reviews were awesome. **

**So here we go the epilogue. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.**

* * *

Gabriel and Rose married in the small church that had become Gabriel's second home on a beautiful day in late May. The ceremony was very small, with the only witnesses being family. Isobel was flower girl and both Sam and Dean gave Rose away while Castiel stood as Gabriel's' best man and the former priest of the church, who otherwise went by the name God, performed the simple ceremony. It was perfect for the couple and it was without a doubt one of the best days of their life.

Another one taking place, rather ironically, on the 25th December when Rose gave birth to a healthy son, even if he was two weeks late. Gabriel claimed it was a sign and insisted that they call him Jay as it was the closest he could get to calling the child by his best friends name of Jesus. Rose had no issues with that and as such Jay Winchester became the latest addition to there ever growing family.

* * *

Gabriel had taken over preaching at the church and the congregation started to grow, his sermons pulling people in from far and wide because he refused to just read bits of the bible and instead used stories of his own life. Hs church also became renowned for its open door policy, everyone was welcome there and everyone who came through the doors inevitably left just that little bit lighter, and some a little bit healthier as well. He didn't go out of his way to heal the sick, but if he happened to touch someone's hand and a small amount of his grace seeped into them, well there wasn't much anyone could say about that was there? He always made sure that he never healed them too much, so that the doctors would accept it as the body fighting back on its own.

* * *

As for the children it soon became clear that Jay had inherited two things from his father, his angelic abilities and his liking for mischief. Which of course now meant Gabriel had two students. He would take them with him to the church everyday so that Rose could do her work and Crowley and Bobby got some peace, and they loved it. Especially when the former priest visited for a chat with their father and played with them, creating things out of nothing for their amusement.

And with that the extended Winchester clan settled back down into their normal, relatively peaceful lives. They were happy and they were together, they could ask for no more.

The End.

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**I hoped you liked this story, now you may have noticed certain storylines are not finished here, that is because there is actually a third instalment in these stories, as I originally laid it out as a trilogy, so if anyone wants me to write the last one let me know and I'll get on that. It probably won't be as long as this one though it will be a more Sam and Dean story, I think. **

**Anyway I would just like to once again thank you for reading this and for the wonderful reviews and favourites and follows they totally motivate me to keep writing. I hope you enjoyed it, please feel free to let me know what you think.**

**Thank you for reading. Maybe see you again soon.**


	32. Thrid in the trilogy

**Hello people. I have been requested to write the last story in this trilogy and I have just posted the first chapter under the title 'Coming Home'. Here is the summary I hope you like it.**

The finale in the 'Home' trilogy. The extended Winchester family had settled into something resembling normal, but Sam still felt as if he was on the outside looking in. One day the last convergence on the two time-lines appeared. Sending the brothers on a journey of discovery, to find what it truly means to be a Winchester, and for Sam to find himself. AU season 8.


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